


Six Years

by texasbelle91



Series: Six Years and a Rose [1]
Category: Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Child Abuse, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, F/M, Physical Abuse, Psychological Torture, Psychological Trauma
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-11
Updated: 2014-07-21
Packaged: 2018-01-24 07:35:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 23
Words: 30,237
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1596788
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/texasbelle91/pseuds/texasbelle91
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>My attempt at a Bethyl one-shot is no longer that. I will be adding more chapters. </p><p>A/N: characters may be OOC.</p><p>DISCLAIMER : I do not own the Walking Dead or it's characters.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Six years after escaping Terminus.

The survivors from the prison along with a few newer members of their group were gathered around a fire at their camp somewhere in the Georgia woods.

It wasn't dark but it was cold. Of course none of them were complaining about it because the cold weather meant less walkers to fight off.

Rick was huddled together with Carol and Carl and Judith were in between them to keep warm. Maggie, Glenn and their two year old daughter, Beth were together. Michonne and Tyreese were on watch but kept close to each other. Sasha and Bob were together, as were Abraham and Rosita. And despite them not actually being a couple, Tara and Eugene were huddled together talkin' about video games and comic books.

Everyone had someone to keep them warm and comfortable. Everyone except one person, Daryl Dixon.

Though he'd never admit it to anyone other than Judith and little Beth, he loved them all and they all knew he'd do whatever was necessary to keep them safe. They were his family, his only family and the best one he'd ever known.

He sat there by himself, watching the members of the group. He looked back and forth between them all, wishing Beth would reappear. He looked to little Beth snuggled between her mom and dad and he shook his head. She had Beth's name but that was it. She was every bit of Maggie from her hair to her attitude. 

Six years and they never let outsiders in and they all made decisions together. Even Maggie and Glenn having Beth was a decision made by the whole group. 

Six years and Daryl still believed he'd find her. Even if all he found was that she was a walker. At least then he could finally let go like he did with Merle. 

Daryl stood up and started to walk away when he felt a tug on his coat.

"Uncle Daryl, will you tell me a story?" Judith asked.

He looked to Rick who gave him a slight nod and he sat back down pulling Judith into his lap along with little Beth who had come over to him too.

By the time he'd finished the story, both girls were asleep. He carried them to their tent and made sure they were tucked in before he left.

A few members of the group had already turned in for the night while the remaining members were either on watch or sitting quietly by the fire.

"Daryl."

He heard her sweet voice and looked to see if he could see her. And he did.

She giggled and called his name as she disappeared into the darkness. He chased her. Callin' her name, "Beth!"

Everytime he was close enough to touch her, she was gone again.

She was never really there. 

He was gettin' sick of playin' games with her ghost but he longed for it. He wanted her to be there.

He felt a hand on his shoulder and knew who it was.

"She's not there," Rick told him.

No one knew better than Rick what it was like to chase a ghost and no one but Rick knew that was what Daryl was doin'. Rick was the only one who knew what happened to Beth.

"I know she's not there but I feel like she is. She's close, man."

Rick nodded and patted Daryl's shoulder, "C'mon back to camp and get some rest."

Once Daryl had settled into his tent, he closed his eyes. Beggin', daring her to show up. 

He knew she would and he knew how every detail played out. It always started the same.

He'd see her smile, hear her voice, her giggle, her singin' to him, he'd feel her arms around him, her hand in his and he'd feel her lips on his.

"You're gonna miss me so bad when I'm gone, Daryl Dixon." 

Those words haunted him more than anything else.

Then, he'd see the car. He would chase it, callin' her name.

"Beth!" He woke up screamin'. 

Just like the night before and every night for the past six years, Maggie was the one who rushed to his side. He let her hold him while he cried. She was the only one that was able to comfort him.

She never asked what happened between him and her sister and she never asked what happened the night Beth went missing. And to be honest, she really didn't want to know. All she knew was that her sister was "gone" and to her that left the possibility that she was still alive even though she knew that was a long shot.

After Daryl had finally calmed down, Maggie returned to her tent and Daryl went for a walk.

He returned to the camp a little after daylight to find everyone awake. While on his walk, he was able to get a couple of squirrels and a rabbit. Huntin' kept them all fed but more importantly it kept him from thinkin' about Beth.

During the day there really wasn't much to do. It wasn't like at the prison where they all had jobs to do.

After breakfast they all settled into a familiar routine. It may have been cold but they all needed to wash off and get a few clothes washed and refill their water bottles.

Abraham, Rosita, Michonne and Tyreese stayed at the camp while the rest of the group went to the creek.

The men were on watch while the girls washed. When they had finished, everyone set out to wash their own clothes.

They were there for a couple hours when they heard an ear piercing scream.

"It sounded like a kid," Carol spoke up.

Everyone agreed and listened for another. But it never came so they went about their business.

On their way back to camp though, they heard it again. This time they could hear what the child was screamin'. 

"Mama!" They heard the child scream, "help me please!"

Daryl, Rick, Carol, Carl and Maggie ran of in the direction of the child's screams while the rest continued on to camp.

Daryl came up on some small tracks and they all followed them. They knew it could be a trap, just as Terminus had been, but if there was a chance they could save the child, they were gonna take it.

When they came upon the end of the child's tracks, they saw a herd of walkers. More than they'd seen in a while.

They could hear they child cryin' from inside the small cavern but there were too many walkers. They couldn't just run over, help the child and leave. No, they had to fight off the walkers.

It took them a while to kill all of the walkers that had trapped the child but when they had finished, they ran to the cavern.

Maggie and Carol held their hands out to the small child.

"It's alright, sweetie. We're not gonna hurt you," Carol said.

The child's eyes moved from Carol to Maggie before reluctantly takin' their hands.

It was a little girl. She was very small and covered from head to toe in mud and walker guts.

Maggie knelt down in front of her, "Hi, sweetie. I'm Maggie and this is Carol. Can you tell us your name?"

She shook her head vigorously.

"Alright. Can you tell us how old you are?"

She held up her hands, using her fingers to display how old she was.

"You're six?" Carol said, noting that the child was very small for her age.

She nodded.

"We heard you callin' for your mama. Do you know where she is?" Maggie asked.

The little girl shook her head no.

Maggie looked at Carol, Rick, Carl and Daryl before continuing, "We have a camp not far from here. There's two little girls there. Would you like to come back with us? We'll get you cleaned up, dry clothes and some food."

The little girl let go of their hands and slowly back up towards the cavern, pulling a knife from behind her. 

The could tell she wasn't sure what to do with it but she was terrified of them. They all suspected then that somethin' horrible had happened to her.

Carl came closer and held out his hand, "My little sister is at the camp. If you come back with us, you'll have someone to play with."

She looked back at Maggie and Carol and lowered her knife.

"You can come with us," Carol started, "we'll help you look for your mom tomorrow. But your welcome to stay with us, you can leave if you don't like it there."

Seein' no way around this situation, the little girl stepped forward and took Carl's hand.

Back at the camp, Carol gathered some clothes for the little girl and they started towards the creek.

Carl stood watch while Maggie and Carol helped her clean up and wash the mud and guts out of her hair. They were surprised when they saw that the child was blond.

Carol washed her dirty clothes before they headed back to camp. When they got there, Maggie introduced her to everyone and Carol began tending to the small cuts she had on her face and arms.

The little girl huddled by a tree, away from everyone, when it was time for supper. She could hear them whispering about her.

She rested her head on her knees and started humming a song she remembered her mom singin' to her.

"Hi," Judith sat down next to her, "what's your name?"

The girl didn't say anything.

"What was that song you were hummin'? Can you sing it to me?"

The little girl nodded and began singin':  
".....pine for summer And we'll buy a beer to shotgun And we'll lay in the lawn And we'll be good

Now I'm laughing at my boredom At my string of failed attempts Because you think that it's important And I welcome the sentiment"

["Be Good" by Waxahatchee]

Daryl, who had been on watch, walked over to the fire and stared at the little girl across from him. He watched the flames dance in her eyes as she continued to sing.

With each line, he moved closer until he was kneeling in front of her. He was so lost in her voice and her eyes that he didn't notice everyone else gathering around to hear her sing.

She was Beth, every little bit of Beth. Her blonde hair, blue eyes and her voice.

He let a few tears fall as he listened to the little girl sing the last song he heard Beth sing.

When she was done, she smiled and looked at everyone until she saw Daryl. Her smile faded and she curled her legs up to her chest.

Daryl fought back more tears and the lump in his throat when he spoke to her.

He looked into her eyes, "What's your name?"

She didn't want to tell him or anyone else her name but she saw the sad look on his face.

She looked him in the eye as she spoke, "Caroline Dixon."


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Thank y'all so much for all the wonderful feedback on chapter 1. I really hope this chapter doesn't disappoint. I had a different idea for this chapter but when I sat down to write it, this is how it came out.
> 
> Please let me know what y'all think, good and bad.
> 
> Enjoy! :)

Chapter 2

Beth sat alone, covered in blood and shakin'. She tried to steady her hands but she couldn't. She just tightened her grip on her knife.

She leaned her head back against the tree and stared at the sky. She began counting the stars, just as she had taught Caroline to do when she was scared.

Caroline. Her little girl.

She closed her eyes and for the first time in six years, she let herself cry as images of Caroline flooded her head.

For six years she had kept her daughter close to her. It didn't always stop her from gettin' hurt but Beth was always there.

Until now.

She had left their camp for no more than a couple minutes when she heard Caroline scream for her. She tried to find her but instead she found walkers. More than she could fight off on her own.

And now, her little girl was out there alone.

For years it's only been the two of them. She couldn't remember the last time she saw a living person or at least one that was friendly.

After allowing herself a few minutes to cry, she finally wiped the tears from her eyes and cheeks. She stood and looked around. It was too dark to try to track her but she knew her general direction. So she walked on.

Beth walked in the darkness until she felt like she was gonna collapse. She had to rest. What good would she be to Caroline if she didn't?

She sat down against a tree and closed her eyes. Within minutes, she was asleep.

Her sweet dreams of finding Caroline alive and safe turned into dreams or rather memories of Daryl Dixon.

"I'm gonna leave a thank you note."

"Why?"

"For when they come back. If they come back. Even if they're not comin' back, I still wanna say thanks."

"Maybe you don't have to leave that. Maybe we could stick around here for a while. When they come back...we'll just make it work."

"So, you do think there are still good people around. What changed your mind?"

"Ya know."

"What?"

"Mmhm," he shrugged.

"Don't 'mmhm', what changed your mind?"

She remembered the feeling she had when he stared at her all too well.

She changed his mind.

Then, it happened.

She could hear him screamin' at her to get her shit and run.

Beth's eyes shot open at the memory. Her mind and her heart never let her relive those moments, not even the good ones. They did for a while but in time it grew too painful. Especially after she had returned to the mortuary and found no sign of Daryl. Of course that was long after she'd been taken from him.

She couldn't help but let her imagination get the better of her when she thought of Daryl as a walker.

She dried her eyes again and stood up. It was still dark but it'd be daylight soon.

She couldn't sit there any longer because she knew where her mind would take her next, Caroline as a walker.

If that ever happened, Beth knew she wouldn't be able to move on.

But tonight, she had to. She had to find her baby girl.

____________________________________________

Daryl felt as if his heart had stopped.

Caroline Dixon.

He knew she was Beth's and she had his name.

He looked around at the others but none of them seemed phased by what she said.

"Ain't your last name Dixon?" Tara asked him.

He didn't answer.

"Dixon's a common name in the south," Eugene finally spoke up.

After the children were tucked away in their tent, everyone sat quietly by the fire.

"She reminds me of Beth," Maggie said aloud, though she didn't mean to.

Everyone agreed.

"She even kinda looks like her," Glenn pressed on.

If Beth had the chance to have kids, would her daughter look like her, like Caroline? Maggie knew it was just wishful thinkin' but she couldn't help it.

Daryl was leanin' against a tree keepin' a close eye on the tent Caroline, Judith and little Beth were in.

Maggie saw the tears in his eyes and walked over to him. She put her arm around his shoulder and for the first time in six years, he wouldn't let her in.

Instead, he moved away from her and walked off into the darkness alone and without his crossbow.

He walked until he found a spot far enough away from the rest of the group.

He sat down and pulled a book out of his jacket. There was just enough moonlight to read the pages. He knew exactly what page he wanted to read even though he didn't need the book to know what it said. He knew what it said by heart.

He read it to himself and let his tears fall on the pages.

He closed his eyes and saw her.

She'd been writing in her diary when Daryl came to her cell to tell her about Zach.

She noticed him watching her, "I don't cry anymore, Daryl. I'm just glad I got to know him, ya know?"

"Me too."

"Are you okay?" She asked him.

"I'm just tired of losin' people, that's all."

She wrapped her arms around him in an awkward hug. "I'm glad I didn't say goodbye. I hate goodbyes."

"Me too."

She pulled away from him and looker into his eyes for a brief moment before takin' a step back.

He pulled her close to him and their eyes danced across each others face, searching for their next move.

Daryl's hand came up and rested on her cheek.

He wanted to make her feel safe, to let her know it was okay to cry and that she didn't have to be strong. He just didn't know how to tell her all of that.

He leaned down and kissed her as gently as he could. He knew it was inappropriate because she'd just lost her boyfriend but he didn't care.

The gentleness didn't last long though.

When she pulled him closer, he picked her up and carried her to her bed.

In that moment, it was something they both needed so they shut the world out. No one existed except them.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Here's chapter 3! I literally woke up in the middle of the night to write this. It was longer than this but after some editing, I took several parts out to use in another chapter because, well, I guess I'm just mean. ;)
> 
> Let me know what y'all think!

_____________________________

Chapter 3

The next morning they awoke to find that the little girl was no longer with them.

Caroline had slipped out in the middle of the night.

It wasn't safe for her to stay there. They seemed nice but that had been the case so many times before. She didn't want to chance it. She wanted to find her mama. The only person she trusted and knew would keep her safe.

They were all gathered around the tent, questioning Judith and little Beth. Wondering if maybe she'd said anything to them.

Between his heartbeat and Beth's voice ringing in his ears, Daryl never heard a word that was said after hearing Caroline was gone.

To him she was "gone", same as Beth.

Everyone jumped when Daryl threw down his crossbow and drew his gun. He backed away from everyone and looked at the sky.

"You think this shit is funny? Huh? Why'd ya havta take them? Why not me?" He yelled towards the sky. "Huh? You took them from me!"

Everyone stood in shock as he yelled the same thing over and over at the sky and no one in particular.

He hit his knees. "You took them from me!" he cried.

Everything had been building up inside him over the years. It ate at him, clawed it's way to the surface until he couldn't take it anymore. The dam had finally broke.

He lost his mind. He had been on the verge of doin' that for years.

He stuck the barrel of the gun under his chin. "You took them from me," he whispered. 

Rick's hands were shakin' as he reached out to Daryl. "Daryl? Put the gun down, okay?" "

Daryl didn't even acknowledge he was there.

"C'mon man, you don't have to do this. Just put the gun down."

He knew how Daryl felt and why he was reacting this way. Part of him thought Daryl wouldn't pull the trigger but another part of him knew Daryl would.

"Daryl, you can't do this. What would Beth think?"

Daryl glared at him, "It don't matter what the fuck she'd think! She's not here! She's gone! Dead!" He yelled and squeezed the trigger.

Rick fell backwards when he realized what Daryl had done but he was stunned to see it hadn't worked. He had pulled the trigger but it didn't fire.

No one was more relieved than Daryl though it didn't show.

Somehow Rick managed to get the gun out of Daryl's hand and get him standing. Daryl was nearly catatonic. 

Slowly Maggie and Carol moved closer. They were afraid to make any sudden moves because they didn't know how he'd react. 

Rick looked at them both and held out his hand to stop them. He was clearly terrified of what would happen if they came any closer. 

Rick kept a tight grip on Daryl's shoulders as he eased him along their path to the creek.

The others had been told to stay at the camp but that didn't stop Tyreese, Glenn and Abraham from following them just in case Daryl lost it again.

Rick left Daryl sitting against a large log while he took the few steps to the creek to wet a rag in the cool water. He knew that everyone thought Daryl was referring to Merle and Beth when he said "them". No one knew the truth but Rick.

He had been the one to catch them that night in Beth's cell. And though he warned them against continuing their relationship, he helped them hide it. So it wasn't really a surprise when Beth came to him for help one night.

He walked into his cell after being on watch all night to find Beth sitting there rocking Judith.

"Beth? Is somethin' wrong with Judith?"

She shook her head, "No sir. She's fine."

He rubbed his face, "What're you doin' in here?"

She was silent for a few minutes, trying to find the words and courage to speak.

She looked down at Judith, "I think I might be pregnant."

Rick raised his eyebrow and rubbed his face again. "Shit. Does Daryl know?"

"No sir."

"Bethie, you can't keep this from him. I thought y'all were bein'....safe."

"I know but I just wanna wait until I know for sure." She stopped and looked at Judith, "that's why I'm in here. I was wonderin' if you could get me a test on your next run. Please. I just.....we'll be careful."

He agreed to it and got her more than one and stood guard while she took the tests and timed them. He remembered her bein' so scared she couldn't read the tests, so he did. She cried both out of joy and fear.

Seein' Daryl like this bothered Rick. It broke his heart. Not just for Daryl who was his brother but for Beth. She came to him for help and he had told her he was disappointed in her. He told her everything a father would tell his daughter in a situation like that. He wasn't tryin' to step on Hershel's toes with it but all he could do at the time was imagine Judith in that situation. 

He knew she hadn't had the chance to tell Daryl when the Governor attacked, she'd only known for a couple of days and he knew how Daryl had found out.

That night on the side of the road, when Daryl and the group he was with came upon Rick, Michonne and Carl; Daryl and Rick had a long talk.

Rick asked him if he knew about Beth and his response was, "Not until it was too late. If I'd of known, I woulda kept 'er closer to me and I sure as hell wouldn't of let her drink that damn moonshine." Daryl scoffed at himself, "That's just what the world needs. Another fuckin' Dixon runnin' 'round."

Rick chuckled, "That's exactly what the world needs. Another Dixon."

_______________________________________

Beth walked until the sun was high in the sky. She hadn't found any signs of Caroline and she was weak.

She knew there was a small pond around here somewhere, she remembered seein' it with Caroline, so she pushed herself on until she found it.

Beth stripped her clothes off and dipped them into the water, washing them as best she could before layin' them in the sun to dry.

She eased herself into the cool water, the wind making it feel colder than what it was. She scrubbed her hair and face. It felt good to have all the blood and mud gone but as she moved to her stomach and arms, she lost that feeling.

She closed her eyes and traced her scars.

"No! Please!" She begged. "Please don't hurt me! Please!"

She cried for them to stop but they wouldn't. They got some sort of sick pleasure out of torturing her. Like she was some kind of test subject.

She traced her fingers down the scar on her stomach. She could still feel the knife.

"No! I'm pregnant! Please don't hurt my baby!" She cried out.

They pressed the knife into her until she felt blood run down her stomach. It wasn't a lot but enough she was in pain and scared for her unborn child.

Beth's focus left her scars and turned to the sky. She'd give her life for her baby and almost did.

She left the water and sat on the grass in the sun. The weak feeling she had before returned. She checked her clothes but they were still wet so she walked around the pond until she found some wild berries.

She picked a few and sat back down to eat them.

After eating a couple, she let the rest fall to the ground as she stared at her hand.

She was tied down and could feel the blood running out of her, onto the bed and down her legs.

They had taken her angel from her.

"Caroline is Daryl's," she whispered to herself. It was moments like this when she needed that reassurance.  
_______________________________________

".....pine for summer And we'll buy a beer to shotgun And we'll lay in the lawn And we'll be good

Now I'm laughing at my boredom At my string of failed attempts Because you think that it's important And I welcome the sentiment" 

That song echoed in his head. Beth's voice combined with the little girls. 

He felt a splash of somethin' on his face but he didn't move.

"You alright?" He heard Rick ask. But he didn't answer. 

Rick sat down and sighed, "You gonna tell me why you reacted like that?"

"She has my name," was all he said.

"Daryl, we both know that little girl is Beth's. Like you said, she has your name. She's yours."

Daryl didn't move.

"You owe it to Maggie to tell her about you and Beth. I'm sure Maggie's figured it out by now but she needs to know that little girl is her niece. No one even suspects she's Beth's daughter but we both know she is. Maggie needs to know."

Daryl jumped up, "What the fuck do I say? Hey Maggie, I fucked your baby sister an' knocked her up?!" He looked around, "none of them need ta know she's Beth's. She's gone, they're both gone an' it's my fault! That's all they need ta know."

"Daryl, Caroline left but she's not gone. We can find her. We'll find Beth, too."

"I knew she was alive. But somethin' musta happened ta her for tha kid ta be on 'er own."

Somehow, hearing Rick's words had given him a little hope even if it didn't seem like it.

Within minutes both men were running back to camp and Daryl grabbed his crossbow.

"Where are you goin'?" Maggie asked him.

"I'm goin' after my girls," he growled. Leaving everyone in a state of confusion.  
_____________________________________

Dear Diary,

These last few hours have been crazy. I stopped writing in you earlier because Daryl came by.

We lost Zach. Things were finally looking up for us. We managed to go 30 days without losing someone. I guess in this world, 30 days is too much to ask for.

Something else happened though.

I had sex for the first time. I didn't expect it and I certainly didn't expect it to be with Daryl Dixon. I mean, it wasn't unwanted but it was still a shock.

It wasn't bad but it was a little embarrassing. I had no idea what I was doing but that wasn't the worst part, the worst part was when Rick walked in on us. I had completely forgotten about him bringing Judith to me.

I'll write more later.

Beth


	4. Chapter 4

__________________________

Chapter 4

Daryl immediately picked up Caroline's trail but it didn't feel right. He noticed how her tracks would suddenly end and then start up again a few steps away. Either the girl knew how to cover her tracks or someone was doin' it for her.

That didn't sit right with him. He didn't think it was Beth, it was someone else.

He and Rick had been on the trail for about two hours. They still had a lot of ground to cover since Caroline had such a big head start on them and only a few hours of daylight left.

After about another hour of walking, he stopped when he noticed how her tracks changed. They were sloppy. He didn't want to say it out loud so he motioned for Rick to take a look.

Rick looked at him and shook his head, "You can't think that, man. She's not a walker."

Daryl swallowed hard and looked back to Caroline's tracks. Rick was right, he couldn't think that. Maybe it was a walker but not his Caroline.

He heard a twig snap not far away from them and knew by the sound that it wasn't an animal. It was a human, not a walker, a living person.

He looked to Rick and give a quick nod before starting towards the sound.  
_______________________

Beth had been steadily walking after leaving the pond.

She tried her best to forget about the things that had happened to her but for some unknown reason, maybe it was because Caroline was gone, her mind kept bring up the past.

She wasn't sure how long she had been with those monsters. She couldn't help but wonder what happened to her when she was drugged.

She saw Caroline's face and remembered some of the things they had told her.

They had told her she lost her baby. She knew it wasn't true. She could still feel her baby. Or was she too out of it to know?

Then she remembered them raping her.

Even through the drugged haze she was in, she knew they were only sayin' that so she wouldn't try to run. She was sure they were playing mind games with her but she only remembered bits and pieces of her time with them. Either by choice or because she genuinely didn't remember.

By her estimation she was only a few weeks along when they took her, so what they told her could've easily been true.

She stopped and closed her eyes, trying to get those thoughts and images out of her head.

She believed with all her heart that Caroline was his but she didn't know for sure. 

"No, Beth," she said aloud to herself, "she's too much like him." 

Then she smiled as she remembered the little things he would do or say and the way he would move. She saw so many of those things in Caroline. Her favorite one was the way she would stare at someone, like she didn't give a shit what they thought. 

She started walking again. The smile remained on her face.

She continued walking until she felt a few rain drops.

"Damn," she thought as she hurried to find shelter or at least a tree that she could reach the branches and stay in.

But she stopped dead in her tracks when she heard a scream from somewhere close and then another shortly after.

Neither one was her Caroline but she recognized both of them.

They were the voices she was running from. No, she wasn't going crazy. These people had been with the ones who took her. She managed to escape them several times but somehow they always found her.

She felt the panic rising in her chest as she thought about Caroline. They had her! They had to of taken her baby girl.  
_________________________

Daryl and Rick had been searching but hadn't found anything. They kept hearing twigs snap and what sounded like whispers.

Someone was close, dangerously close.

The rain that had started began to get heavier, to the point they almost couldn't see in front of them.

They heard a cry and stopped. It was a child.

Then they heard a woman scream in pain. They took off running towards the sounds that were echoing around them and mixing with the thunder and lighting.

Caroline was sitting in the rain next to the body of a blonde woman and she was holdin' a bloody knife and cryin' hysterically.

Daryl and Rick rushed to her. Rick moved towards the body only to let out a sigh of relief.

"It's not Beth," he whispered.

Daryl took the knife from Caroline and threw it down before picking her up and holding her as close to him as he could.

She wrapped her little arms around his neck and cried, "They told me they were gonna kill my mommy!"

Before they knew what was happening, Rick was on the ground and a man was on top of him.

Daryl froze. He wanted and needed to help Rick but he couldn't let go of Caroline.

He reluctantly sat her down and steadied his crossbow. Through all the rain, he aimed it.

He missed the mans head but got him in the shoulder and he fell away from Rick, screaming from the pain.

Rick grabbed the only thing he could get, Caroline's knife, and stuck it into the back of the mans head.

Caroline took a step towards Daryl. He didn't think twice as he scooped her up and held her close again.

The three of them started back to their camp in silence. The rain only got heavier but both men were thankful for that as the tears they had been cryin' mixed with the rain.

Caroline kept her arms around Daryl's neck and her head on his shoulder the whole way.

It was well after dark when they got back. The fire was out but the others were still up.

Daryl passed Caroline to Carol so she could clean her up and get her into some dry clothes.

Everyone waited in silence until Caroline had been placed into the tent and was asleep.

Then Maggie started in on Daryl.

"Your girls?" She questioned.

His only response was to take Beth's diary from his jacket, where he always kept it, flipped it to the page he read religiously and handed it to her. She stepped into her tent to read it.  
________________________

Dear Diary,

Hey, it's me again. 

I don't really know how to say this but I guess I should try. I mean if I can't write it in here, how am I gonna be able to tell anyone and this is something I have to tell them. 

So here it is: I'm pregnant!

I found out last night when Rick brought the tests back from his run. He's the only one who knows besides me and you.

I really need to tell Daryl and daddy and Maggie but I'm not sure how.

What if Daryl gets mad and doesn't want the baby?

What if Maggie and daddy get mad and won't let me see him anymore?

I know that sounds childish but what do I do? I want them to see me as a woman, not the little girl I used to be but I'm afraid that won't happen now.

I wish there was someone I could talk to. Someone like my Mama.

It would be so much easier to explain everything to her than it's gonna be to tell Maggie and daddy.

If Rick's reaction is any indication of how daddy's gonna react, I'll probably never see daylight again.

Anyway, Judith's waking up so I have to go.

Beth  
______________

Maggie couldn't believe what she was reading. But there in front of her, in Beth's own words and handwriting, was the truth.

Beth had been pregnant!

All the anger she had been holding back was unleashed.

She threw the book onto the mess of sleeping bags and ran towards Daryl, knocking him to the ground.

"How could you?! You knew this for six fuckin' years and you never once thought about tellin' me!"

Maggie slapped him and burst into tears. She let her body fall to the ground next to him and put her arms around his neck.

"Why didn't you tell me?" She cried.

"I couldn't. I didn't know how."

She pulled back from him and looked him in the eyes, "Is Caroline....?"

Daryl nodded.

Maggie let out a shaky cry, "Oh God! That's why you went after her. So Beth's....Beth's out there?"

Daryl nodded again, "Somewhere."

Maggie stood up, pulling Daryl up with her.

"We...we have to go find her. We need to."

Rick put a hand on each of their shoulders, "We'll go tomorrow when there's enough light. Maybe the rain will stop and we can find her."

"We will find her," Carol said, smiling reassuringly. 

They all settled into their tents that night with a newfound hope.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Caroline knew exactly who he was though she'd only met him a few days ago.

He looked just like the man her mama had described to her. A little older, yes, but she was his.

They both were.

Caroline waited until she thought everyone was asleep to crawl out of the tent she was sharing with Judith and Beth.

She looked around but couldn't make herself move. She held her knife tightly at her side.

She wanted to go find her mom but yet, she wanted to stay. She wanted to know him but what if he didn't want her? What if she left but couldn't find her mama?

Six years old is too young to have to make a choice like that but she did.

She dropped her knife and silently crept over to his tent and unzipped it. She crawled inside and looked at him, wondering if she'd made a mistake.

She decided she didn't and continued inside until she layed her head on the pillow next to his. Face to face.

Daryl's eyes popped open when he felt a shift on his pillow. 

She reached out her tiny hand and touched his cheek. "I know you," she whispered. 

Daryl closed his eyes for a second before lookin' back at her. "I know you, too," he said.

Caroline smiled, Beth's smile.

"Will you help me find my mommy?" she asked sweetly.

Daryl nodded, "Yeah, I'll help ya find 'er."

She stood up and stared at him. He didn't move.

"Well?" She put her hands on her hips, "Are ya comin' or not?"

Daryl smirked. Yep, she was definitely Beth's!

"It's too dark, Caroline. We'll leave as soon as tha sun comes up," he told her.

She stuck out her lip and crossed her arms. He couldn't help but think about how cute she was when she pouted and how much she looked like her mama.

He couldn't believe this beautiful angel was his.

Caroline stood there like that until a loud clap of thunder scared her.

She went screamin' to Daryl. He wrapped his arms around her and tried to calm her as she cried.

He held her in his arms and rocked back and forth until her cries turned into a whimper.

He layed down on his back and eased Caroline to his left side, keeping his arm around her.

He had just closed his eyes when he heard the zipper on his tent.

Maggie stuck her head in, "Oh thank God!" She sighed when she saw Caroline curled up next to Daryl.

Caroline sat up and pulled Daryl's arm around her stomach as Maggie crawled into the tent.

"I heard a scream and when I checked on the girls, she wasn't in there. I just wanted to make sure she was alright."

"She's fine. Jus' a lil' scared of tha thunder is all."

Maggie smiled and looked at Caroline who was watching her intently.

She held reached out her hand to Caroline which only made the girl scoot closer into Daryl's side.

Maggie looked at Daryl, "Do you mind if I stay in here and talk to her for a little bit?"

Daryl shook his head, "Naw, go 'head."

"Thank you," Maggie smiled to him.

He closed his eyes, listening to the sound of Caroline's voice and trying to memorize it. He was soon asleep.

Maggie held out her hand once more," Do you know who I am?" she asked Caroline.

The girl cocked her head to the side and gave what Maggie decided was a very "Daryl Dixon" smirk. "You're maggie." She answered as if Maggie had asked the stupidest question possible. 

Maggie couldn't help but snicker at both the look on Caroline's face and the incredulous tone in her voice.

"You know my daughter Beth? She's named after your mommy."

Caroline smiled a little.

"Do you know who he is?" Maggie asked her, motioning to Daryl.

Caroline nodded, "Daryl."

"He's not just Daryl, sweetie. He's your daddy and your mommy, she's my sister. That makes me your aunt."

Caroline looked up at her with tears in her eyes before looking down. She took Daryl's hand in both of hers and played with it nervously.

When Maggie didn't get a response out of Caroline, she scooted closer to her. Caroline clutched Daryl's hand and looked up at Maggie with fearful eyes.

"Whoa, sweetie. I'm not gonna hurt you. I'm not gonna take you from your daddy. I just wanna talk to you. We're family."

Caroline looked at her in disbelief. "I want my mommy," she started to cry, waking Daryl up. He rolled over onto his side.

Caroline layed down next to him facing Maggie.

Maggie grabbed one of Daryl's extra pillows and put it next to his and then she layed down.

This is when Caroline did something that only Beth knew she did. She scooted close to Maggie until their noses were touching. She took her tiny hand and put it on Maggie's cheek, "You 'mind me of my mommy," she whispered to Maggie.

From the moment she was born, Beth would touch her nose to Caroline's. It was just something they did and as she got older, it became something she did when she wanted to feel safe. More often than not, Beth would wake up with Caroline's face right against hers.

Soon, both Maggie and Caroline were asleep.

Daryl woke up at one point only to find that Caroline's foot had somehow made it's way to his face. He laughed to himself when he looked over to see she had one arm draped over Maggie's face.

The next time he woke up was because he had the feeling he was being watched. Which was true. Caroline was watching him, studying his face.

When he opened his eyes, she smiled and put her nose against his, "you're my daddy?" She said questioningly.

He moved to kiss her forehead, "yeah baby girl, I'm ya daddy."

"Why wasn't you with my mommy an' me?" 

"I couldn't be there, baby. Ya mommy was taken from me. I wanted ta find 'er an' I tried but I couldn't."

Caroline looked at him as though she didn't understand what he was saying and he knew she didn't understand it.

He watched the sadness growing in her eyes, "You love us?" she asked.

It broke his heart to hear her ask that. "I love ya, baby girl. I always have an' I love ya mommy, too. Y'all mean ever'thin' ta me."

Caroline snuggled in closer to him and closed her eyes. She felt safe with him but she missed her mama.

A few hours later, after the sun came up, Daryl and Maggie were both woken up to Caroline's screams.

They both grabbed her.

She had a dream that the bad man had her mommy and was after her but she couldn't tell them that. She was afraid to tell them because she didn't want them to make her leave.

She had finally stopped cryin' and was layin' between her daddy and her aunt when she suddenly sat up and smiled.

She turned to Daryl and nudged him, "C'mon! You said we'd look for mommy!"

When she and Maggie stood up to leave the tent, she saw that Daryl wasn't making any effort to move so she pounced on his stomach.

He groaned and rolled her over, tickling her.

He stopped when she giggled. Wanting to hear that beautiful sound again, he tickled her some more. 

"Stop daddy," she giggled as though she had called him that before.

Daryl looked up and smiled at Maggie when he heard what Caroline had called him.

Daryl fell in love with Caroline's giggle and wished he could hear it 24/7 for the rest of his life. 

"It sounds good, doesn't it?" She asked him.

He looked back down at Caroline and that was the only response she needed before joining in on the tickle attack.

They stopped when they heard Glenn calling out for Maggie.

Everyone raised their eyebrows and stared at her when she crawled out of Daryl's tent followed by Caroline and Daryl.

Carol and Michonne both let out a small chuckle and Rick grinned.   
They all gathered around the fire as Rosita and Sasha passed out food.

Caroline took her place in Daryl's lap with one of his arms wrapped around her.

No one could help but stare and smile at the two of them when they noticed they were both chewing on their thumb nails.

After they ate, Caroline was glued to Daryl's side as they prepared for their search for Beth.

He hugged her and kissed her head when he handed her to Carol.

"Ya gonna stay here, baby girl. We'll bring mama back," he told.

The moment he turned his back to leave is when all hell broke loose.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: After deciding to turn this into a multi-chapter story, I planned on it being 6 chapters long but that has changed. This is NOT the last chapter.
> 
> Thank y'all so much for reading andreviewing this story. I have really enjoyed writing it.
> 
> Anyway, here's chapter 6.

_____________________

Chapter 6  
___________________

The moment he turned his back to leave is when all hell broke loose. 

Caroline started kickin', screamin' and cryin' for him to stay or to let her go with him.

Rick shook his head, "I know it's hard. Just keep walkin' though and don't turn around."

Daryl didn't listen though. When he turned around to look at Caroline, he saw that she was on the ground cryin' and screamin'. And when Carol tried to pick her up to comfort her, she kicked and screamed louder.

Daryl couldn't handle it so he ran back to her and picked her up.

Holdin' her close he whispered, "We're goin' ta get ya mama, baby girl. Ya got stay here."

She shook her head vigorously and cried, "No! I wanna go with you."

Daryl looked back to Rick, Carl, Tyreese, Maggie and Abraham who were waitin' for him. They all shook there heads "no" but when Daryl looked at his little girl, he wasn't strong enough to tell her no.

"Aight, but ya gotta stay right with us an' do what I tell ya. 'Kay?"

She nodded her head and Daryl put her down. Taking her hand in his, they waked over to the others and set out to find Beth.  
________________

Beth couldn't move. She swore she had heard Caroline callin' out for her.

But she knew she was just hearing things. After all, she kept hearin' Maggie, Daryl and her daddy.

She was too weak to move or even cry. She was emotionally and physically drained and wanted nothing more than to hold her little girl.

"That's not gonna happen unless you get your ass up," she said aloud to herself, "C'mon Beth! Caroline needs you! Get up!"

She finally stood up and looked around. She took a deep breath and took a few steps before stoppin' and laughin' at what had just happened.

She wasn't just mentally telling herself what to do but now she was actually talking to herself.

She found it slightly funny but at the same time she knew that's the encouragement she needed to find her baby.

She walked on for what felt like hours until she collapsed.  
________________

They retraced their steps to where they had found Caroline that first day.

Maggie and Daryl both knelt down in front of Caroline.

"Caroline, sweetie, do you remember which way you came from?" Maggie asked.

Caroline nodded and pointed out the way she came from.

Daryl and Maggie each took one of her hands while they walked in the direction she had pointed out.

They followed her directions for around three hours before Daryl spotted some buzzards. They were no doubt circling their food.

Maggie silently prayed it wasn't Beth. Although she knew that was a better way to go than to become a walker and have to be put down.

They decided they'd take a little break and let Caroline rest for a minute while Carl and Abraham walked ahead to see what they could find.

By the time they caught up to Abraham, they found that Carl had ran out ahead of him without sayin' why.  
______________

Beth slowly opened her eyes but everything was blurry. Her head hurt somethin' awful but she figured it was just from falling down.

She ached all over. She went to move her arm but started panicking when she realized she was strapped down.

She blinked until her eyes weren't as blurry. She could barely make out anything around. There were people talkin' but she couldn't make out what they were sayin' and their faces were distorted.

There were sounds of utensils clanging around, then she felt a sharp pain. She couldn't tell exactly where it was at but she knew she felt it.

A woman came and stood over her but she couldn't see her face.

"You're doin' just fine, sweetheart. This won't take much longer," she heard her say.

She did her best to scream but there was no sound.

Her head fell back and her eyes closed again briefly. She reopened them only to find the same woman standing over her. This time she could make out her smile and that her hair was in a braid. 

Then she heard the squeal of a baby.

"It's a beautiful baby girl," the woman told her.

Beth fought against her restraints but failed to get loose. She began panickin' even more than before. Her head fell back and her eyes closed once again.  
_________________

Everyone finally caught up to Carl.

"Why the hell did you run ahead like that?" Rick asked.

Carl shrugged, "I thought I could find her. Maybe we need to call her name instead of just trackin'. Maybe she's scared. She needs to know it's us!"

They all looked at him, shocked he'd be thinkin' about Beth bein' scared.  
_________________

"Caroline," Beth whispered.

She couldn't move. 

"Caroline, I'm sorry baby. Mommy loves you."

She wasn't even sure who she was talkin' to anymore. Herself, Caroline's ghost or just the wind?  
___________________

The sun had set but they didn't stop. 

Maggie carried Daryl's bag while he carried his crossbow on his back and a sleeping Caroline in his arms.

Abraham and Tyreese were leading with Rick and Carl behind them and Daryl, Caroline and Maggie bringing up the rear.

"We should stop," Rick said.

Tyreese and Abraham did just that, they stopped and threw their bags down.

"Finally," Carl whispered and sat down.

"Carl," Daryl addressed him, "can ya take her for a minute?"

He nodded and held his arms out for Caroline while the others set up a little camp.  
__________________

Beth felt the coolness of the night wash over her body.

She opened her eyes reluctantly, afraid of what she'd see.

She could barely make out the moon through the trees above her. 

Closing her eyes she drifted in and out. All the while feeling restrained and still seeing the woman standing over her.

She let out a shaky breath as she tried to speak. Nothing came out.

She felt a searing hot pain and screamed.  
__________________

Carl's body shot up, jolting Caroline awake.

She looked at him with fear in her eyes but that quickly subsided when Daryl rushed over to her.

"Did y'all hear that?" Carl asked the others.

"No," Rick said.

"Hear what?" Maggie asked.

"I...I heard someone scream," he stuttered.

"We didn't hear nothin'," Daryl said roughly.

"Shut up!" Maggie suddenly urged them.

They all looked at her like she'd lost her mind.

"Shh," she said, "listen."

There was an eerie silence for a while before they heard a scream.

Throwing their stuff into their bags, they hurried towards the screams.

The screams sounded close but not close enough. 

"Beth!" Maggie called out into the darkness.

Nothing.

They walked further and called her name again.

Still nothing.  
______________

Beth heard the birds chirping and felt the morning dew on her face but couldn't bring herself to open her eyes.

Was she really back there? She couldn't be, could she? Had they found her this time? Was this really the end?

Her head jerked at the sound of someone calling her name.

The voice sounded so familiar but yet she couldn't make out who it was. It was too far away.

It was in her head. It had to be.

She closed her eyes wishing it was him.

"Beth!"

Her eyes fluttered open at the sound of her name being called again.

Her eyes were clear this time and she saw she was alone. She wasn't restrained anymore and she wasn't back there. That was all in her head.

She rolled over onto her side and gently pushed herself up off the ground. She took a couple steps before falling down again.

She groaned and pushed herself back up. She stumbled to her feet and took a few more steps before leaning against a tree.

She was shakin' and weak and barely able to breath but she willed herself to keep walkin'.  
____________________

When they came to a clearing, Caroline let go of Daryl's hand and took off running ahead of them.

"Mommy!" She screamed happily.

They all focused their attention on a figure across the clearing.

"It's a walker," Maggie whispered.

Daryl threw his crossbow down and took off runnin' after Caroline.  
__________________

"Mommy!" 

Beth heard Caroline's voice. She looked up to see her little girl runnin' towards her. 

"Caroline," her name came out in a hoarse whisper.

She stumbled into the clearing and towards Caroline.

Her eyelids grew heavy but she could see someone run up behind Caroline and pick her up.

"No!" She scried and reached out a hand.

She fell to the ground but could hear the shouts around her.  
_________________

Caroline kicked and pushed herself free from Daryl's arms and ran towards Beth.

Daryl wasn't fast enough to catch her.

"Caroline!" He yelled out when he saw the walkers hand grab Caroline's arm.  
___________________

"Mommy?" Caroline whispered before falling on top of Beth.

Beth's arms went around Caroline but she didn't open her eyes. She wanted this to be real and she was afraid if she opened them, she'd see it wasn't real.

She heard the voices grow closer and felt Caroline being ripped from her arms.  
_________________

Daryl looked down at the walker and fell to his knees.

"Beth?" He whispered.

She moaned.

Maggie fell to her knees beside him, shakin' and cryin', she reached out and touched Beth's face. "Oh my God. No!" She cried.  
__________________

Beth couldn't open her eyes or make herself talk but she could hear the voices around her and she could feel their touches.  
_________________

Maggie grabbed Beth's hand and looked at Daryl.

Daryl was sittin' there in complete shock, not movin'.

Tyreese and Abraham pulled Maggie away and immediately felt for a pulse.

"She's still alive. Her pulse is weak but she's still got one," Tyreese said in relief.

Rick passed Caroline to Carl and went to Daryl who still hadn't moved.

"You hear that? She's still alive," he said, pulling Daryl up.

Abraham picked her up and they headed towards their camp and the others.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A very special thank you goes out to jazznsmoke on ff.net for her amazing ideas for this chapter.

Chapter 7

Beth's eyes flicked open. She was on her back, staring up at the night sky. The moon was bright and the stars were out. For a fleeting moment she thought she was in the pasture at the farm and everything had been a dream.

She saw a few shadowy figures moving closer to her and she began to panic and hyperventilate. Two of the shadowy figures rushed to her side and she stared at their faces. She looked into their eyes and tried her best to scream. 

"Bethie?" She heard Maggie's voice.

She felt a hand touch hers. She knew it was his touch but it couldn't really be him.

"Mommy?" Caroline bent over and touched her nose to Beth's. "Mommy, I missed you."

Was this real? No! Maggie and Daryl had been gone for years and she had lost Caroline days ago. There's no way any of them were really there.

She tried to move but found she couldn't. At first she felt as if she were being restrained but that wasn't the case. She was frozen with fear and weak from days of walking.

They continued to talk to her and she heard a few more familiar voices but she knew it wasn't really them. Her eyes closed involuntarily. 

Maggie looked at Daryl, "She'll be fine once we get her back to camp."

He didn't acknowledge Maggie lookin' at him or anything she was saying. He kept his eyes focused on Beth's face.

Maggie had done her best to clean her up but she was still covered in dry blood and dirt.

Daryl reached out his hand and touched her cheek, wiping at some smeared blood. 

Even through all of the blood, dirt and years, he saw her as the same Beth he knew before. So full of hope, life and goodness. She was still just as beautiful now as she was then. He didn't think she had aged at all in the past six years.

Daryl and Caroline slept as close to Beth as they could with Maggie keeping watch over them.

Maggie didn't know what to expect. This was her baby sister. Someone she thought she had lost and now, here she was.

The next morning everyone gathered up their supplies before disturbing Beth. They knew she probably wouldn't be able to walk on her own but they needed her to try so they could make it back to the others before nightfall.

She hadn't opened her eyes since last night and she hadn't uttered a word since they found her.

Maggie and Daryl helped her sit up. Maggie wiped at her face with a wet rag until she opened her eyes, then she help a bottle of water to her lips.

Taking a sip, Beth looked around. She saw the familiar faces of her family but found she couldn't keep her eyes focused. They were hazy and burned.

Taking another sip, she looked at the brunette woman holding the bottle, "Ma...Maggie?" The word barely came out.

Maggie's lips formed a tight smile and she shook her head yes, not trusting herself to speak right now.

Suddenly, Beth's eyes closed and she fell back against Daryl who was trying to hold her up.

"We need to get movin'," Abraham told them.

They agreed and tried to make Beth stand up but when she couldn't, Tyreese volunteered to carry her.

Almost two hours into their walk, they stopped. 

Tyreese helped prop Beth up against a tree so she was sitting while Maggie got her some water and Daryl got her some food.

They weren't sure when she had eaten last but from the looks of her, they could tell it had been a while.

Maggie held the water bottle to her lips once again. Beth managed to swallow a little but most of it just ran out of her mouth. Maggie moved from her spot so Daryl could try to get her to eat something. 

He held a piece of rabbit meat up to Beth's lips but she wouldn't open her mouth. Maggie knelt down next to them and held Beth's mouth open while Daryl pinched a small piece off and placed it on her tongue.

"Bethie, you need to eat somethin'. Can you chew the food?"

Beth managed to chew it a little and swallow but when Daryl tried to give her another small piece, her eyes fluttered open.

She started screamin' for them to get away from her and she begged them not to hurt her or her baby.

"She's crazy," Carl spoke up.

All Maggie could do was watch her sisters face. Maybe Carl was right. Beth didn't seem to know what was real and what wasn't. 

She seemed.....lost and confused. Yeah, that's it. Maggie decided she wasn't crazy, she was just lost and confused but certainly not crazy.

"Mommy?" Caroline startled everyone when she spoke to Beth.

She sat down next to Daryl and grabbed Beth's hand before wrapping an arm around her neck.

"Mommy? Are you sick again?" She pulled back and stared at Beth, "Mommy?" She said again.

Daryl put his arms around Caroline's waist and pulled her away from Beth.

"Baby girl, ya mommy ain't feelin' good but she'll get better."

Caroline nodded but leaned in close to Daryl's ear, "She won't get better."

"Why not?" He asked, not really expecting an answer from the small child.

"Mommy's been like this for a long time. She gets better but always gets sick again."

This worried everyone. It seems Beth's mental state had been fading for a while. They knew she'd never be the same Beth she was before, none of them were the same as they had been but they feared she was no longer......there.

After a few more minutes, everyone was packed up again and were ready to continue their walk.

Tyreese went to pick up Beth but immediately jumped away when she started screaming again. 

Once she had settled back down, he was able to pick her up and they started walking again.

They made several stops along the way. Each time, Beth had gone into an hysterical fit and at one point managed to slap and kick Maggie when she tries to calm her down.

When they had finally reached camp, Beth was in and out of consciousness.

They had her laid out on a blanket inside one of the tents so they could look over her. 

It took Daryl and Rick to hold her down while Maggie and Carol cleaned her wounds.

"They're infected?" Maggie stated rather than asked.

"Yeah, they are." Carol agreed.

They cleaned them as best as they could but knew then they'd have a hard time administering antibiotics.

Satisfied that none of her wounds were walker bites or scratches, they finished cleaning her up with some water from the creek and got her into some clean clothes.

"She's dehydrated," Carol said while rummaging through the trunk that contained their medical supplies and found two IV bags. She handed them both to Maggie.

"Is that all we have?" Maggie asked.

Carol looked at her sadly and nodded.

They tried to put the IV in her arm but were having a difficult time with it. She kicked and scream until they got Rick and Daryl to hold her down again. 

In a way, that made things worse. They all had tears streaming down their faces as they watched Beth.

After they were sure Beth was out, they all climbed out of the tent and gathered around the fire.

They'd need to make a run for some medical supplies. 

"There's a town not far from here, maybe a days walk. We could see if they have a hospital or clinic or something," Michonne said.

Rick, Michonne, Bob and Tara left for the town shortly after the discussion.

That night, Maggie and Daryl refused to leave Beth's side, as did Caroline.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I know y'all are gonna hate me for this chapter but Beth has A LOT of healing to do.

Chapter 8  
_________________________

"She's not doing good," Carol told Maggie and Daryl.

"Does she still have a fever?" Maggie asked.

"Yeah. It's not as high as it has been though."

Daryl just stared at them and then looked over to Caroline. "Fuck!" He whispered and rubbed his eyes.

"Daryl, we're doin' all we can. Bob got several different kinds of antibiotics. We'll try them all until something works," Carol said.

Maggie put her hand on his shoulder but he shrugged it off and walked away.

They watched him pick up his crossbow and disappear into the woods.

"She's been comatose for three days. Do you think there's a chance she'll wake up?" Michonne asked.

Maggie nodded and looked in the direction Daryl had gone, "She has to. Someone has to look after Caroline and Daryl."  
______________________

Beth woke up to the sounds of someone snoring. The sun was rising and that provided her with a little light to see two people sleeping next to her. A man and a woman.

She blinked a few times before her eyes focused in on who was beside her. She lifted her head up a little and saw Maggie and Daryl. In-between them was Caroline.

Caroline heard Beth moving around and sat up. She saw her mama tryin' to pull out the IV and stand.

"Mommy?" Caroline asked.

Beth looked up at her before reaching out her hand.

Caroline took it and stepped over Daryl to sit next to Beth.

"Mommy, are you okay." She asked.

"I'm fine, sweetie."

Daryl heard them talkin' and sat up. He panicked and shook Maggie when he saw Beth pulling at the IV. 

They both jumped up and tried to get her to stop but she was able to pull it anyway.

She slowly stood up and grabbed Caroline, pulling her close.

Beth held Caroline's hand as she eased towards the tent opening.

Daryl and Maggie were tryin' to stop her. Despite her sudden burst of energy, they knew she was weak and runnin' on nothin' but fear and adrenaline.

"Bethie?" Maggie looked at her confused.

"Don't call me that!" She cried and pulled Caroline out of the tent with her.

Daryl reached out his hand, "Beth, please stop."

She shook her head, "No! You're not gonna hurt me or her again."

The others in the group, including Judith and little Beth, were gathered around the fire watching Maggie and Daryl reason with Beth.

"Beth, none of us are gonna hurt you or Caroline," Rick said, stepping closer to her.

She pulled Caroline closer to her, "Don't come any closer!" She warned them.

Caroline tugged at Beth's shirt, "Mommy, they're not gonna hurt us."

Beth stared down at her, "Yes they will, Carrie they're not who you think they are. They're not real, Caroline!"

"Yes they are, mommy!"

Caroline pushed away from Beth and ran to Daryl.

Maggie and Rick stepped closer.

"Bethie, please. It's me, Maggie!" She pleaded, "you know us. We're real."

Beth was beginning to panic as they surrounded her. She watched them closely.

She spotted a knife on the ground and picked it up, "Caroline, please come here, baby. We have to go," she cried.

"No, mommy. I wanna stay here with daddy!" She clung to Daryl.

Beth backed up slowly, crying. "No, no, no!" She whispered to herself. 

She kept backing up until she was against a tree.

Carol took a step towards her but stopped when Beth lunged at her with the knife.

Tyreese wrapped his arms around her from behind and Rick tried to get the knife away from her.

When she was disarmed, Tyreese let go of her and she fell to the ground cryin'. "You took my baby!"

They all continued to watch her in disbelief.

This wasn't the Beth they remembered. This wasn't their Beth.

Daryl made Caroline go into his tent and he rushed towards Beth. He grabbed her arms and tried to pull her up off the ground but she wouldn't stand.

"Please let me go! Please!" She begged. 

Maggie came over and they both tried to get her up but she fought them off.

They both moves away from her. Daryl had tears runnin' down his face as he watched her and Maggie was on her knees cryin'.

"Bethie, please don't be scared. We're not gonna hurt you." Maggie cried.

Beth curled up into the fetal position, closed her eyes and cried hysterically.

Caroline had been watching from inside the tent and ran to her mothers side.

"Mommy?" She put her hand on Beth's cheek, making her jump a little. "Mommy, it's me Carrie."

She bent down and touched her nose to Beth's, "mommy, we can leave if you want to."

Beth just cried for a few minutes but Caroline never moved.

Finally, Beth stood up and held Caroline's hand in hers tightly.

Caroline looked up at Beth with tears in her eyes. They started to fall when she looked over to Daryl who was now on his knees beside Maggie.

Beth didn't acknowledge anyone else but she paid close attention to them as she eased herself and Caroline towards the woods behind them.

"Fuck!" Daryl cried out. He jumped up and ran after them, "Bethie, please stay. Don't go!"

When Beth saw him come towards them, she turned around and ran, telling Caroline to do the same.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I'm hoping this chapter gives y'all a little more insight into what's going on with Beth. This chapter was originally much, much darker but I watered it down just a little bit. I may need to change the rating but anyway, let me know what y'all think and if y'all think I went too far.

Chapter 9  
______________________

"We made sure to get some antidepressants and anti-psychotic meds while we were there," Bob told everyone, "but we can't give her any until she wakes up."

"She's not fuckin' crazy!" Daryl growled at him.

"Daryl, from what you said happened and from what Caroline has said, Beth needs some kind of help. She may not be crazy but somethin's wrong with her mentally," Sasha interrupted. 

"Kinda sounds like PTSD," Abraham chimed in.  
___________________

Beth and Caroline hadn't been walking for very long when Beth started to feel tired and weak.

They finally stopped so Beth could rest a little.  
She sat down and leaned back on a tree with her eyes closed and her knees pulled into her chest.

Caroline sat across from her and watched her. She didn't fully understand what was wrong with her mama or why they had to leave but she didn't want to lose Beth.

The wind was chilly and they had no way to build a fire so Caroline crawled over next to Beth and curled up against her.

Beth let a few silent tears fall as she began rocking back and forth.  
_____________________

"No! Please stop!" Beth pleaded with them. Her hands were tied above her head and she could feel her blood dripping down her arms.

"Please don't hurt her!" She screamed, "I'll do whatever you want just don't hurt her!" 

She could still see Caroline curled up in a ball on the floor in front of her and she could still hear her cries as she watched them take a whip and sling across the child's back, drawing blood.

"You'll do as we say no matter what," a gruff voice said from behind her. He grabbed a handful of hair and pulled her head back, "You've disobeyed too many times. This is your punishment until you learn to keep your fuckin' mouth shut."

She saw Caroline look up at her with tears streaming down her face and mixing with blood.

"I'm sorry, baby," she whispered to Caroline before they brought the whip down across her back again.  
________________________

"Daryl, what are doin'?" Glenn asked.

"The fuck ya think I'm doin'? I'm goin' after 'em!" 

"Wait! Don't rush off, Daryl," Sasha said.

"It's gettin' late! I gotta get ta them," Daryl said.

"I'm goin' with you," Rick volunteered.

"Can y'all just wait a minute," Carol said, "Bob had an idea. It may work but you have to listen to us."

Daryl and Rick stopped gathering supplies to listen to what was being said.

"I told y'all I got her some antidepressants and anti-psychotics, I also found some Xanax," Bob started, "I think if we crush some up and put them in some food, maybe if she'll eat it, it'll calm her down enough for us to start her on some of the other meds."

Carol handed them a bowl with a lid, "It's oatmeal. We crushed up the Xanax in it. Make sure she eats it all and don't let Caroline have any."

Daryl nodded and took the bowl from her.

"Ya ready?" He asked Rick.

"Yeah," Rick replied and they set out to find Beth once again.

_______________

"Mommy, I'm hungry and cold," Caroline whispered to Beth.

Beth's only answer was silence as she stared at nothing in particular.

Caroline raised up and faced Beth. She put her hands on either side of Beth's face and turned her head to look at her.

"Mommy, why can't we go back? They won't hurt us. Daddy loves us," she said sadly.

Beth looked at her with confusion and disillusion written all over her face.  
____________________

It didn't take Daryl and Rick long to stumble upon Beth and Caroline. They were only an hour and a half walk from their camp.

Daryl started to rush towards them but Rick stopped him.

"We don't wanna spook her," Rick told him, "let's wait a minute and make sure we know what we're walkin' into here."

Daryl reluctantly agreed and started biting his thumb nail nervously.

As much as he wanted to rush over to them and hold Beth and Caroline, he knew it may cause Beth to run again.

So they watched.  
___________________

Beth jumped away from Caroline.

"Mommy?"

"Don't call me that!" Beth yelled at her.

Caroline stood and started towards Beth.

Beth took a step back and tripped.

Caroline rushed to her side but Beth quickly moved away.

"Mommy, what's wrong? Can we go back?"

"You're not Caroline! You're not my baby!" Beth yelled.

This terrified Caroline.

"Yes I am, mommy!" She cried and held her arms out for Beth.

Beth looked at her and shook her head, "No, no you're not. You're not my Caroline!" Beth pushed Caroline away from her.

Caroline couldn't help but hit her knees and cry harder.

She didn't understand what was happening. Did her mommy not love her anymore?

Beth crawled backwards until she was up against a tree. She pulled her legs up to her chest and started rocking back and forth again.

"No, no, no," she whispered, "What'd they do to you, Carrie?"

She closed her eyes tightly.  
___________________

She felt a searing hot pain and she heard their voices.

She was hanging by her arms again, completely naked. 

This time because she interfered with their discipline of Caroline.

She raised her head slowly and noticed the candles scattered around on the blood stained floor and the drawings and writing that were on the walls and floor as well.

She heard Caroline's cries and the sound of the whip before she ever saw her. 

Then she focused in on the fire pit in the room.

The person that was kneeling next to it was dressed in a black robe, almost like a priest but there was something evil radiating off of him.

He stood and walked towards her, holding a branding iron. He placed it on the insides of Beth's thighs causing her to scream.

"You will not interrupt us again!"  
_________________

Rick and Daryl rushed towards them when they saw Caroline walking over to Beth.

"Get Caroline and carry her back to camp," Rick ordered Daryl.

Daryl quickly scooped up Caroline and headed back to camp.

Rick approached Beth with caution.

He pulled out the bowl and a bottle of water and eased towards her, "Beth? Are you hungry?"

She opened her eyes and looked at him fearfully.

He took notice of that and placed the bowl and water in front of her then slowly backed away.

He was a good 10 to 12 feet away from her before she reached for them.

She opened the bowl and studied it's contents before she started eating.

She kept her eyes on Rick the whole time and was ready to run in case she needed to.

When she finished the oatmeal, she grabbed the bottle of water and drank the whole thing.

Rick waited patiently for the pills that were in the food to take affect.

He watched her just as closely as she was watching him, looking for any signs it was workin'.

They stared at each other for another 15 minutes before Beth started feeling the effects.

Her head felt like it was beginning to spin and her eyes were becoming blurry.

She slowly tried to stand up but felt like she was gonna fall.

"Wh...what did you do to me?" She slurred.

"We did what we had to. We all love you, Beth and we don't wanna see you get hurt," he started walking closer to her, "It's time for you to come be with us. Daryl and Maggie need you. Caroline needs you."

She held out her hand, "Don't....don't come any closer."

Just as she uttered the last word, she collapsed.

Rick picked her up carefully and headed back to camp.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

"Where do you want me to put her?" Rick asked when he brought Beth back to the camp.

"Over there in that tent," Maggie said, pointing towards a tent that wasn't close to the others.

They had set up a tent far enough away from theirs that Beth wouldn't feel trapped when she woke up but close enough they could keep an eye on her.

As soon as she was in the tent, Carol and Sasha inserted an IV. Bob had suggested keeping her medicated but not sedated for a few days so she could get used to bein' around them.

Maggie was in Daryl's tent with him and Caroline.

When Daryl brought Caroline back, she was cryin' hysterically so they both tried to calm her down.

"My mommy don't love me," she kept tellin' them.

"That's not true, sweetie. She just needs to get better," Maggie assured her.

Daryl held Caroline close to him all night.  
________________

"She's been out for two days, do you think she's awake yet?" Maggie asked, looking towards Beth's tent.

Bob shrugged, "We gave her a good bit of meds. She could be out for a few more days."

"Shouldn't we at least check on her?" She asked.

Bob looked at her and then at Daryl, "Only one of you should go. We don't know how she's gonna react and we don't want her to get scared of us."

Daryl and Maggie looked at each other and without discussing it, Daryl stood and started towards Beth's tent.

"Wait," Michonne said, "if she's awake, she'll need to eat." She handed him a bowl of beans and he nodded.

Carol handed him a bottle of water and two pills, "See if she'll take these."

Caroline, who was with Judith and little Beth playin' with a doll, started walkin' towards Maggie when she saw Daryl heading to her mama's tent.  
_____________

Beth slowly woke up to the sounds of people talkin' and children laughin'.

She started to panic until she realized she was alone. She didn't recognize the tent but at least no one was in there with her, though she figured someone was probably outside keepin' watch.

She didn't want them to know she was awake so she laid there reliving things she had tried so hard to forget.

Her hands wandered under her shirt until her fingers found the scars on her stomach. She flinched at the memories that scarred her skin. They had taken her Caroline from her.

She sat up when she heard the zipper of the tent.

Daryl stepped in and stared at her, lookin' at him with fear in her eyes.

She shook her head and started cryin'. He looked like her Daryl but she knew it wasn't really him. What did he want?

He slowly moved towards her, "I ain't gonna hurt ya. I....I brought ya somethin' ta eat." He held the bowl out to her but she didn't take it.

He put it down in front of her before he sat down and looked at the ground.

"I'm sorry for everythin's that's happened ta ya. An'....an' ta Caroline." He told her, though he knew she probably wasn't listening.

"I love y'all, always have, even 'fore I knew Caroline. I knew you were pregnant when they took ya from me."

He looked at her to find her studying him. She was listening. Or maybe he just wanted her to be.

He pushed the bowl closer to her, "Eat."

Beth wasn't sure what he was gonna do to her. She was hungry but she was afraid to eat but when he told her to, she became afraid of what would happen if she didn't.

She held the bowl and took a bite and then another.

Daryl smiled as he watched her eat.

When she was finished, he handed her the bottle of water and held the two pills in the palm of his hand.

"Can ya take these for me?"

She shook her head and scooted towards the back of the tent.

Daryl lowered his head and wiped his eyes, "Bethie, please take these. Ya need ta get better. Caroline needs ya. I need ya."

Reluctantly, she reached for the pills and took them. She didn't know what they were but she didn't care. Maybe they'd knock her out so she wouldn't have to feel what she knew was comin' next.

Daryl watched her take the pills before he left her tent.  
______________

Beth stared at the wings on his vest as he was leaving.

She closed her eyes tightly, "Daryl," she whispered to herself.

She wiped her eyes and crawled over and unzipped the tent just enough she could see outside.

Everyone looked familiar. Everyone except a few people.

She saw Caroline run into Daryl's arms and wrap her arms around his neck. She wanted this to be real.

"Beth," she heard someone callin' and she froze. She watched but no one came to her tent, instead she saw a little girl.

"Beth," Maggie said, "you and Judith share with Caroline. She's y'all's cousin. Okay?"

"Judith?" Beth whispered. Was it her Judith? 

Of course she knew Judith wasn't actually hers but she had loved her just the same.   
________________

"How was she? Did she take the pills?" Maggie asked Daryl when he sat down.

He shrugged, "Yeah, she took 'em. She's scared. Don't think she knew who I was."

Maggie sighed, "Well, maybe those pills will work and we can get our Beth back."

Daryl nodded and tightened his arms around Caroline. 

"You know, to work through whatever's wrong with her, she's gonna have to talk about what happened," Rosita said to everyone.

They all agreed but those who knew Beth agreed they weren't sure they wanted to hear about it.

"What if we give her some journals to write in?" Tara asked. They all looked at her. "I was just thinkin', Daryl keeps the journal she had been writing in so why not get her some more. She'll be able to write down anythin' she wants and maybe it'll help her."

"There's a problem with that," Carl said.

"What?" She asked.

"We don't have any journals. We'd have to make another trip to get some."

Michonne stood up, "I think it'd be worth it to try that. I'll go in the mornin'."

Tyreese and Tara volunteered to go with her.  
______________

Beth sat there for hours watching everyone and cryin' to herself.

She wanted to get Caroline and run as far away from them as possible but she remembered what happened before.

They'd find them, just like they always did.

Somethin' was different though. Caroline seemed to be happy for the first time in her life. 

"Maybe she's safe here," Beth told herself.

She decided that she'd leave when she had the chance. And as much as she hated the idea, she would let Caroline stay with these people.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11  
_______________

Beth waited that night until she thought everyone had gone to sleep. She wasn't gonna try to run but she wanted to make sure she was prepared for when she did.

She unzipped her tent and stepped out. She surveyed the area around her before quietly taking a few steps away from the camp, letting the moonlight guide her.

She was a few feet away from her tent when someone grabbed her arm and placed a hand over her mouth.

"Don't scream, Bethie. I ain't gonna hurt ya," Daryl said, "I'm gonna let go, promise me ya ain't gonna scream."

She nodded and when he let go of her, she spun around to face him. Fear filling her eyes.

"What're ya doin', Beth?"

She took a step back, "I..uh..I...I have to pee."

Daryl nodded and held out his hand, "C'mon, I'll keep watch for ya."

She looked at his face and then his hand and shook her head.

"Aight then. C'mon," he dropped his hand and turned around, "follow me."

Beth did as she was told and followed him down a well worn path where she did her business.

When she was finished she just stood there behind Daryl, not saying a word. She watched him light a cigarette and every breath he took, mentally tracing the outline of the wings on his vest until she couldn't hold back her tears anymore.

Daryl quickly turned around and stepped towards her, only stopping because he didn't want to scare her.

"You're not real," she whispered, stepping backwards, "you're not real."

Daryl didn't care if he scared her, he took two steps and wrapped his arms around her.

"I'm real, Bethie," he whispered in her ear.

She continued to cry, "You're not real! You're not Daryl!" 

She tried to pull away from him but he wouldn't let her.

"I ain't gonna let ya go, Beth."  
_____________

The next mornin', Michonne, Tyreese and Tara left for their run.

Things went on as usual around the camp. No one went to Beth's tent except for Daryl and that was only to carry her food and medication.

Caroline would get close to the tent but someone always pulled her away. She would play with Judith and Beth for a little bit before she'd end up next to Daryl.

The last time she ended up next to Daryl, they all decided they'd try to ask her some questions.

Daryl pulled her into his lap and kissed her head, "Baby girl, we gotta ask ya some things, aight?"

She nodded and held his hand.

Maggie started, "Caroline, do you know were you and your mommy were before you were in the woods?"

She nodded.

"Where?" Maggie asked.

"We were at home."

They all looked at Maggie and then at Caroline.

"Do you know where home was?" Carol asked.

"Yes," she said quietly. 

"Do ya know how ta get there?" Daryl asked her.

She looked up at him, "No. Mommy made me close my eyes when we left."

"What did you do there?" Maggie asked.

Caroline shrugged and mumbled.

"What about your mommy? What did she do?"

"Mommy did what they told 'er to."

"Sweetie, did they hurt you and your mommy?" Carol asked.

Caroline's eyes filled with tears as she turned to face Daryl and put her arms around his neck, "Please don't make me go back," she pleaded, "I'll be good."

"We ain't gon' let ya go back, baby. Ya stayin' with us," he told her.  
_______________

Beth stayed in her tent. She was terrified to leave.

After last night, she wasn't sure if anything was real though she couldn't help feeling like it was. 

 

She heard Daryl's voice, she saw him and she felt his arms around her but she couldn't shake the voices in her head telling her that none of it was real. Though she desperately wanted it to be.

She watched them interacting with each other and with Caroline. They didn't seem aggressive but she knew that things weren't always as they seemed, looks could be very, very deceiving.  
______________

After Caroline stopped cryin', they got Judith and Beth to come over for supper.

When they'd finished, the girls began tellin' everyone goodnight.

Caroline smiled and hugged Daryl, "Night daddy."

"Night, baby," he smiled and rubbed her back, she hissed in pain.

Everyone took notice of that and he carried her to his tent with Maggie and Carol following him.

Maggie went to the girls tent to get some clothes for Caroline to sleep in. When she got back Daryl stepped out of the tent to go talk to Rick but didn't make it to where he was before Maggie and Carol were screamin' for him.

He rushed back into his tent to see Maggie sittin' there cryin'. She raised the back of Caroline's shirt to reveal mangled scars and a few wounds that clearly were not that old and were slightly bleeding.

They hadn't had time to heal completely. 

Beth and Caroline had obviously been gone from wherever they were being held for a short time.

Daryl just stood there starin' at her back in disbelief.

His baby girl had been hurt and it was his fault. If he'd of kept Beth close to him, none of this would've happened to them.

He walked over to Caroline and sat down, pulling her into his arms. 

Daryl held her close for a long time and cried.

Someone had hurt his girls and he wanted to know who but knew he couldn't ask Caroline. 

"I'll get some bandages," Carol said.

When she left Daryl just stared at Maggie.

"Daryl, I'm sorry. We didn't pay attention to her back before. We just cleaned up the scratches she had on her face, arms and legs. We didn't think to look for....."

"It's aight," he told her.

Against his better judgment, he left Caroline with Maggie and Carol and rushed to Beth's tent.  
_______________

He wasn't mad at her, he just wanted to know what happened to them but she didn't see it that way.

When he entered her tent, she raised her arms defensively, anticipating a blow she knew was comin', instead he grabbed her arms and pulled her to him.

"Bethie, please tell me what happened ta y'all!"

Beth started cryin', "Please don't hurt me."

"I ain't gon' hurt ya! Now fuckin' answer me!" He didn't mean to raise his voice to her but he did and when he realized it, he let go of her arms.

She wrapped her arms around her stomach and cried harder.

"Please, please. I'll do whatever you want."

He watched her hit her knees pleading but it was what she did next that shocked him.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12 

Daryl stood there in shock as he watched Beth remove her clothes. There wasn't an inch of her body that he could see that wasn't covered in scars.

"Beth, what tha fuck are ya doin'?"

She looked at him with sad, fearful eyes, "this is what I deserve. I disobeyed and now I must be punished."

She moved closer and started removing his belt. 

Once it was off, she placed it in his hand and turned around, revealing to him her own mangled scars.

He didn't move, he just stared at her back and clenched his fist.

After a couple minutes, Beth faced him again.

She didn't know why he wasn't punishing her for the way she's acted but she took a chance.

She unbuttoned his pants and tugged them down, just as she was about to do the same to his boxers, he stopped her.

Daryl left Beth's tent pissed off and if he was bein' completely honest with himself, a little scared.

He didn't know what they had done to her to make her do what she just did but he didn't like it.

He had, had hope that when Beth got better they could be together, be a family, but after that, there was no way he'd be able to look at her the same. 

She wasn't his Beth anymore. She was theirs, whoever they were.  
\-----------  
The next mornin' when Michonne, Tyreese and Tara returned from their run, they immediately handed Daryl several of the journals and pens they could find.

He wasn't sure he could face her again so he handed the items to Maggie.

"She's ya sister. Ya need ta go see 'er," he said.

"I can't. I know she won't know who I am. She's seen you, she should be used to you. So you do it," Maggie said.

"Naw." 

They all looked at him questioningly but he wasn't about to tell them why he didn't want to see her.

"Daryl, I think it'd be best if you were the one to bring this to her," Carol said.

He shook his head.

"Please, Daryl. I don't think I can see her right now," Maggie said.

He shook his head and got close to Maggie, "I ain't goin' in there. Ya want 'er ta have this shit, carry it to 'er but I ain't goin' near her fuckin' tent."

"Daryl!" Maggie gasped at his words, "what's wrong? Why are you bein' like this?"

"She ain't our Beth. I don't know who tha fuck that girl is but it ain't tha Beth I know."

"What?" Rick asked. They were all confused at this point.

"She's Beth, yeah but she ain't right. She's fucked up!"

"Daryl, calm down. What happened?"

He didn't answer, just grabbed his crossbow and took off. Knowing he would be back when he calmed down, no one followed him.

Maggie stood there shakin', "I can't carry this to her. I....I don't know if I can handle seein' her right now."

"Well, who else is gonna give it to her?" Michonne asked.   
\----------  
Beth wondered what she had done wrong. Why didn't he want her? Why didn't he punish her?

She heard the zipper of the tent and immediately retreated to the corner.

Beth was worried when Rick came to her tent instead of Daryl.

She stayed curled in the corner while he talked.

"Bethie, we got you these. You can write whatever you want in them or you don't have to write anythin' at all," he told her.

She sat up and moved closer to him, quickly taking the journals and pens.

"We all want you to get better, Beth. When you do, I'm sure Judith would like to see you."

Her eyes lit up when he mentioned Judith's name but the happiness they held quickly faded.

"Judith's here! No!" She started cryin', "please let her go!"

"Beth, Judith's safe here. You're safe here."

"No, she's not safe here. They'll hurt her," she whispered and moved closer to him, "please let her go!"

Beth obviously didn't know where she was. The few moments of clarity she had were gone now.

She whimpered and flinched when he reached to touch her arm.

"Bethie, none of us are gonna hurt you."

She shook her head, "You're all the same!"

She curled back up in the corner and put her head in her hands cryin', "Please don't hurt her!"

"Beth?" Rick reached for her again but she jumped away.

"Leave me alone!" She screamed.  
\------------  
Rick stepped out of Beth's tent to find Daryl hadn't come back yet.

"He was down at the creek," Michonne said.

Rick grabbed his gun and nodded before heading in the direction Daryl had gone.

"You were right," Rick said, approaching Daryl, "She's not the same and....and she is fucked up a little but maybe we can still help her."

"Fuck naw. Ain't no helpin' that. She's gone," Daryl looked down.

"You still love her?" Rick asked.

"Yeah. Never stopped."

"Good. Now come back to camp so we can figure somethin' out. Try to talk to 'er."

"Cain't. Ya didn't see 'er scars an' what she wanted me ta do."  
\---------------  
Beth could hear everyone talkin' outside.

She didn't understand what was happening. Why did they leave her?

She couldn't ask them what she had done. She wasn't told she could speak to them around the others and if she did, she was sure that would only cause things to get worse.

She had to obey the rules she'd been taught to fear.

Her only source of communication or relief was the journals they had brought her. So she began writing in them.

It wasn't easy because every word she wrote reminded her of everything they had done to her.  
\------------  
"How long is it gonna take for those pills to start workin'?" Rick asked when they got back to camp.

"About two weeks," Bob replied.

"Fuckin' great," Daryl mumbled. 

"What the fuck did she do to make you act like this?" Maggie asked Daryl.

Daryl growled and grabbed Maggie's arm, "Have ya seen tha fuckin' scars on 'er?"  
\--------------  
Later that night, Daryl went to his tent before they had finished cooking.

When the food was done, Carol fixed Beth a plate and gathered several pills. Instead of askin' Maggie or tryin' to talk Daryl into carrying it to her, she handed them to Rick.

"Make sure you watch her take the pills when she's done eating," Carol told him.

He knew she would be scared so he tried his best to assure her he wasn't gonna hurt her.

He placed the food as close to her as possible and eased back towards the front of the tent until she finished. Then, he put the pills down and watched her take them.

When he was about to leave, she moved closer to him and grabbed his arm. He turned around to speak but she put her hands on his shoulders before moving them to his waist.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Beth pressed her lips to Rick's cheek and started tugging at his pants. He quickly pushed her hands away and stared at her in disbelief. 

"Beth, you need to stop."

"No," she shook her head, "please!"

He grabbed her arms, "No."

He turned to leave but she grabbed his shirt and tried to pull him closer to her. 

Beth started cryin', "What did I do?"

"Huh?"

"What did I do wrong? I'll do it right this time, I promise."

She backed away from him when she saw he wasn't giving in. She was doin' somethin' wrong. She had to prove to him she was gonna be good, just for him.

She started removing her clothes, "I'll be good. Please, I'll take it. Just do whatever you want," she pleaded.

Rick's eyes grew wide as he realized what she was talkin' about.

"Beth, what did they do to you?"

She looked at him with cold eyes, "They did what they had to, what you have to."

He stepped closer to her and raised his voice, "Whatever they did to you was wrong. They're sick! I'm not gonna do any of those things to you and neither is anyone else that's here. You shouldn't expect anyone to hurt you like that anymore. We're tryin' to help you. We all love you, Elizabeth."

She stared at him blankly, she heard what he was sayin' but she was still confused. Why didn't he want her? Were they through with her? 

"Beth?" He called her name but she didn't respond.

He stepped even closer and grabbed her arms, shaking her, "Beth?"

She pulled away from him and reached down for a blanket, wrapping herself in it.

He stood there watching her face.

He could see the wheels spinning in her mind as her eyes filled with tears. 

She fell to her knees. 

"I'm so sorry," she whispered, "I'm sorry, Rick."

"You know who I am?" He asked her incredulously. 

She nodded silently.

"Do you know what you were just doin'?"

She nodded again, "You called me Elizabeth. Daddy was the only who ever called me that."

He rubbed his eyes. What was he supposed to do now? He knew she wasn't better and the only reason she was seein' clearly now was because of him callin' her Elizabeth.

"You know I'm not gonna hurt you, right?" 

She nodded and pulled the blanket tighter.

"Do you know where you are?"

"No," she answered weakly and looked down.

They were both silent for a minute.

Beth's eyes slowly widened and she began to panic, "Oh my God. I have to get Caroline! I have to find her!"

"She's fine. She's with Daryl."

Beth shook her head, "No. No she's not! Daryl's dead. Caroline can't be with him!"

"Fuck!" Rick mumbled to himself.

Before he knew it, Beth had retreated back into the corner like she had earlier.

"Beth?"

She didn't respond, not even glancing at him.  
\---------------  
When Rick left the tent, he headed straight for Carol and Bob.

"Y'all got some shit you can give her to knock her ass out?"

"Yeah, we do. But why?" Carol asked.

"She needs somethin'. She....she....I thought for a minute she was better but she ain't."

Everyone stopped what they were doin' and looked at him.

"What did you say?" Maggie asked.

Rick turned to her, "She knew who I was. I called her Elizabeth."

Maggie's eyes filled with tears, "Oh my God."

"She's only been on the meds for a few days," Bob said, "don't get your hopes up. She may know who you are now but in five minutes that could change."

"Well, is there anythin' y'all can give her through an IV that'll work?" Maggie asked.

"Um....I don't know if it'd work or not."

"Just fuckin' try it," Rick said harshly. 

Carol and Bob looked at each other.

"Okay," Bob said, "I'll see what we got."

While Bob and Carol were busy preparing something for Beth, Rick went to talk to Daryl.

He knew Daryl wasn't asleep yet because he could hear Caroline askin' him a thousand questions so he unzipped the tent and entered.

"Caroline, can I talk to your daddy alone?" He asked.

Caroline nodded and hugged Daryl before leaving.

"Beth....she's," Rick couldn't find the words to describe her, "she was raped wasn't she?"

Daryl shrugged, "Guess so but it wasn't tha only fucked up shit they did to 'er."

"She thinks you're dead," Rick told him uneasily.

Daryl huffed, "Might as well be. She's fuckin' better off thinkin' that."

"You really believe that?"

"Yeah."

"How can you believe she was better off thinkin' that? You've seen how she is, what they did to Caroline. You don't believe that so don't try to convince anyone else, 'specially me."


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14  
___________

The next morning, Bob and Carol pulled together a way to administer Beth's medication while they sedated her for a few days so they could figure out what to do next.

It had only been a few hours since they had sedated Beth when Carol had taken four of the journals she had already wrote in so they could see if she mentioned anything that happened to her.

Instead, they found the same thing scribbled over and over on every page of one of the journals.

It was the lyrics to the song she sang to Daryl in the mortuary. The same song she sang to Caroline everyday. 

The journal Rick and Michonne were looking through was filled with calendars. On the front of every page Beth had drawn a grid with numbers and the names of each month.

Some of the numbers on each of the months were marked out with an "X" as if she was keeping track of something. 

On the backs of those pages were the names of people from their group.

She had made a list of those she knew were dead and those she hoped had survived.

The only name left off of either list was Daryl's.

His name was written at the top of the pages with the words "I'm sorry."

"What the hell is this?!" Maggie screeched, making everyone rush to her side. 

In the journal she held, Beth had wrote the same Bible verse on every page.

["And they shall bear the punishment of their iniquity: the punishment of the prophet shall be even as the punishment of him that seeketh unto him."

Ezekiel 14:10 ]

There was one journal they had yet to look in.

Daryl had rushed off to his tent with it.

They soon realized whatever he had read was the smoking gun when he emerged cussin' and with his crossbow.

Without sayin' a word to anyone, he took off.

Rick grabbed his gun and knife before following him.

"Where the hell are you goin', Daryl?" He called out.

Daryl stopped, "I'm gonna find them fuckers an' kill 'em for what they did ta my girls!"

"Daryl, we don't even know where to start lookin'."

"The fuck we do! Jus' gotta go back ta where.we found Beth an' keep goin' 'til we find their camp."

"That's easier said than done, man. We don't know if there's anyone there and if there is, we don't know how many we'll be up against."

Daryl glared at him and clenched his fists, "I gotta find 'em. I fucked up once an' look what happened ta Beth an' Caroline. I ain't riskin' them fuckers findin' 'em."

"I understand. I see what you're sayin' but we need to have things sorted out first," Rick reasoned, "let's try to get things worked out with Beth and see if we can get someone to come with us."

Daryl scoffed, "I ain't askin' ya ta come with me. Ya wanna do that, go 'head but I'm goin' now. I ain't waitin'."

Daryl turned and was walkin' away when Rick came to the conclusion he'd have to guilt him into stayin'.

"What the fuck am I suppose to tell Caroline when she asks where you are? What the fuck do I tell 'er if you don't come back?"

Daryl stopped dead in his tracks and tensed up.

Rick figured it was workin' so he continued, "You really wanna leave that little girl behind, Daryl? Don't let her lose you now. She needs you!"

Daryl turned back to Rick with a look he couldn't read. 

For a brief moment, Rick actually thought Daryl would kill him. Three thought left his mind when Daryl walked by him and back to camp.

Dark dropped his crossbow by his tent and picked Caroline up from where she was playin' with Judith and little Beth.

Caroline gave him a bright smile and hugged him. 

"I love you, daddy."

"I love you too, baby girl."  
_____________

Though she was sedated, Beth's mind was in overdrive. 

Memories of her life before the turn flashed through head. While the memories of the past six years came and went through her mind, her memories of her old life were ever present.

Those were the places she would go to when reality became too much for her to handle.

They never lasted.

Somehow the bad memories would intertwine with the good.

There seemed to be no escaping them.

However, her life after the turn hadn't always been bad.

She remembered the feelings of happiness and relief when they were at the prison.

She had her blood family and her new family all together in one place.

She had Daryl.

Then it all came crashing down around her and she was left with nothing of them, nothing worth smiling about, nothing worth cryin' over and no hope.

Then Caroline was born and the hopefulness she once had returned.

The way her baby girl would smile and giggle gave Beth a new sense of hope and happiness. She was pure and innocent in a world that had gone to hell.

But just like everything else, it never lasted.

She still saw Caroline as innocent as the day she was born though she knew she had been touched by the devil's own hand, he had failed to corrupt her.

Beth saw in Caroline the girl she was before she was taken from Daryl.

Caroline still found beauty in everything and had the hope she lacked.  
_____________

Beth's mind drifted once again to the dark places she couldn't escape.

Her eyes flickered behind her eyelids as she let the memories take over:

She was holding a three year old Caroline in her arms. She wiggled away from Beth and put both of her tiny hands on her mama's ever growing bump and leaned in to kiss :t with a giggle. She was almost 6 months along which meant she only had three more months of being treated as a human being before they would take her baby away from her and her and Caroline would be sent back to hell, same as the time before.


	15. Chapter 15

A/N: I am so sorry for the last chapter but Beth's life hasn't been all rainbows and sunshine. She's been through hell.

Anyway, here is the next chapter. Thank y'all so much for reading and all of the comments.

Let me know what y'all think!

*This story is actually completed. I just haven't had time to update it on here but I will finish posting the chapters this week. Also, all flashbacks in this story from now on will be marked as: (flashback) due to issues with uploading the chapters.  
_______________  
Chapter 15  
_____________  
(flashback)

Beth bounced up the steps to the guard tower after sneaking out of the prison.

She opened the door and walked in.

"Hey," she said cheerfully to Daryl and Rick.

The both looked at her and smiled.

"Hey, Judith asleep?" Rick asked.

"Yes sir. Carol's watchin' her tonight."

Rick looked at Daryl and then back at Beth.

"I'll be in the other guard tower. If I see someone comin', I'll let y'all know," he said and patted Daryl on the back.

When Rick walked over to Beth, he kissed the top of her head, "Remember our deal? You better be back inside before the sun comes up."

"Yes sir."

He looked back to Daryl and both gave a slight nod.

"Night Bethie."

"Night."

As soon as Rick was out the door, Daryl's arms were around Beth and his lips were on hers.

Beth broke the kiss and took Daryl's hands, pulling him over to the blankets that were on the floor.

He eased her down and kissed her neck, making her giggle.

"Daryl, that tickles."

He smirked and kissed her lips again.  
________________

Daryl rubbed his eyes. 

He wanted that Beth back. He wanted to be able to hold her and kiss her and hear her laugh again.

She was broken and he didn't know how to fix her.

He looked over at the little girl sleepin' next to him and brushed her hair away from her face.

He wished she could have known her mama when she was the one that put a smile on everyone's face.  
_______________  
(flashback)

Daryl had one arm around Beth's shoulders and her hand in his.

He wasn't much for talkin' but he loved to hear her talk.

"What'd ya wanna do 'fore this shit happened?" He asked her.

She shrugged, "I don't know. I always thought I'd become a teacher, get married and have kids. I wanted to have a house built on the farm so I could raise my family there. I can't have any of that now but at least I have Judy."

Daryl frowned, "Who said ya cain't have any of that?"

Beth looked up at him and furrowed her brow, "No one but I can't. It's not possible to have what I want anymore."

She laid her head on his chest, "What did you want?"

"I ain't never wanted nothin'. 'Fore this shit I's jus' happy ta be livin'."

If he had of known then that they would have Caroline, he would've made sure she had everything he could possibly give her.  
____________

He sat up and eased out of the tent, tryin' not to wake up Caroline. 

He made his way over to Glenn and Maggie's tent and whistled.

Maggie unzipped the tent and crawled out.

"What?" She asked.

"Can ya keep an eye on Caroline? I'ma go huntin' for a lil' bit."

"Sure. Let me tell Glenn."

He waited to leave until she was inside his tent with Caroline.  
___________

Daryl came back later that mornin' without anything. 

He hadn't really gone huntin', he just needed some time away from everyone.

Maggie, Rick and Carol had been talkin' about taking Beth off of the IV but they didn't want to make the decision without Daryl.

"What do you think about it?" Carol asked him.

He nodded in agreement, "Cain't keep 'er knocked out forever."

After Carol and Bob removed the IV, Daryl went into her tent and sat down next to her.

He had told the others that he wanted to be in there when she woke up.

He sat there watchin' her sleep.  
_______________  
(flashback)

Daryl had just finished his watch shift one night when he stopped by Beth's cell.

He looked around to make sure no one was up before he pulled the curtain back and entered.

She was asleep, facing the wall.

He leaned against the bed and watched her breathing. Everything seemed right and peaceful to him.

For the first time in his life, he found himself wanting to say 'I love you'.

He moves the blanket and climbed in beside her, wrapping his arms around her and burying his face in her hair.

They were both safe.

"Daryl," she whispered sleepily.

"Yeah, baby."

She turned in his arms and kissed him.

He smiled and pulled her closer.  
_____________

It had been around three hours since they had taken the IV out when she started waking up.

She opened her eyes but didn't make any other movements.

Daryl scooted closer to her.

He leaned over and kissed her forehead, "I love ya, Beth."

To his surprise, she didn't jump away or act scared. Instead, she looked as though she was in shock when she saw him.

Her eyes were wide and he could see the fear and panic begin to rise in them.

He pulled her up and wrapped his arms around her and whispered in her ear.

"I ain't gonna hurt ya, baby. I'm sorry for ever'thin' that's happened to ya. I'm sorry I wasn't there for you an' Caroline but I'm 'ere now."

He could feel her heart pounding in her chest, so he let go.

She moved away from him with her eyes still wide and filled with tears.

"You're not really here," she whispered.

"Yeah, I am."

She shook her head, "No you're not."

He put his hands on her cheeks and pressed his lips to hers.

"I'm really here, baby and I ain't leavin' ya."


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16  
_________

Over the past three days, Daryl didn't leave Beth's side for more than a few minutes at a time. Those few minutes were spent with Caroline.

He knew Beth wasn't better but at least she wasn't fighting him so much now.

Beth still didn't believe it was really Daryl but she let him hold her close anyway.

She was afraid that at any moment she'd wake up and be back in hell.

So for a brief moment, she started panicking when she woke up this morning with his arms around her. He was still sleepin'.

She stopped herself when she went to move one of his hands off her arm. She held his hand in hers and cried to herself.

"Don't be scared," she told herself.

Part of her knew it was really him but the other part kept tellin' her it wasn't him but his ghost, her memories.   
___________

Daryl woke up when he felt something wet on his hand. He could feel Beth shaking.

"Beth?"

"Hmm?" She wiped her eyes.

He tugged on her arm until she rolled over onto her back. He sat up and stared down at her.

She may have been cryin' but she wasn't screamin' and she wasn't talkin' to herself. This was his Beth.

He reached out and wiped some tears from her cheek.

He kissed her forehead and laid back down beside her.

Neither of them spoke.  
___________

After a while of layin' there in silence, Daryl finally sat back up and pulled out the journal they had taken from her a few days before.

"I ain't asked ya ta tell me 'bout tha shit that happened to ya but I wanna know what they did."

Beth's hands started runnin' over the scars on her arms.

Daryl noticed hands moving and her eyes glaze over, "I ain't forcin' ya but I want ya ta tell me."

She chocked back her tears and stared at him.

"Tell him, Beth," a voice in her head took over, "what's it gonna hurt? Even if he's not really here, it wouldn't be the first time you've talked to his ghost. Tell him!"

Her heartbeat quickened as she softly spoke, "They hurt me, Daryl. I didn't wanna leave you." 

She couldn't bring herself to tell him anything else. He didn't need to know the details or the horrible things she had done.  
__________

Daryl watched her before he reached over and pulled the front of her shirt up, exposing the scars on her stomach. Her body stiffened with fear.

He let his fingers glide across one of the scars.  
Beth jumped up and pushed him away.

"Don't touch me!" She screamed.

"Beth," he reached for her but stopped when she flinched.

"Please leave me alone. Please don't hurt me," she cried.

"Bethie, I ain't gon' hurt ya."

She curled her knees into her chest and cried harder, "Please leave. I don't want you here!"

Daryl held up both of his hands up, "aight, I'm leavin'."  
___________

He stepped out of the tent to see everyone starin' at him. They had all heard her screamin'.

Caroline ran to him, "Daddy, is mommy still sick?"

He nodded and picked her up and walked over to sit by the fire.

Maggie came and sat down next to him, Caroline was in his lap.

"Caroline, do you know what they did to your mommy?"

She shrugged and looked a little confused.

Maggie opened the journals Beth had written in and started showing them to Caroline and askin' questions.  
_____________

"You dumb bitch!" Beth berated herself, "how could you! He wasn't gonna hurt you!"

Then the voice in her head started laughing, "they were right about you, Beth! You're only good for one thing. Do you really think Daryl wanted you back then? He never wanted you! You were just some girl he liked to fuck. Nothin' more."

Beth put her hands over her ears. 

"Stop it," she screamed, "stop sayin' that!"  
_____________

Daryl lifted Caroline and handed her to Maggie when they heard Beth screamin'. 

Daryl and Rick hurried to her tent.

"Fuck!" Daryl screamed.

"Carol! Bob!"

Rick grabbed a sheet and started wrapping it around Beth's arms.

"No, fuck! What'd you do, Elizabeth?" He didn't raise his voice but it was harsh.

Daryl was shakin' when he pulled the sheet away from her arm while Rick held onto her.

"Why'd ya do this, Beth?"

Carol gasped when she saw the sheet covered in blood.

Bob and Carol started pulling out their supplies and ordered Daryl to leave the tent.

"Go tend to Caroline," Carol told him, "your daughter needs you."

"Hold her still," Bob told Rick.

Carol held Beth's arm out while Bob cleaned it.

"Oh God! Sweetie, why would you do this to yourself."

They kept askin' her questions but she never answered them.  
____________

"What happened? Who's with Beth?" Maggie asked Carol when they finished with Beth.

"Rick's with her," Carol sighed and sat down, "She....she carved 'worthless bitch' into her arm."

Maggie closed her eyes and shook her head, "that's not good. None of this is good."

She stood up and started pacing and clenching her fists, "I wanna kill those bastards!"

"Maggie, why don't we take the girls to the creek? It...you can cool down a little and then we can try to talk to her."

"No!" Maggie growled. She picked up one of the journals and threw it at Carol's feet, "Caroline told me what the fuck the shit in that means! The Bible verses, the calendars, the X's, all of it. She couldn't remember some things but....I....I can't do this anymore! We have to find them!"

Maggie stormed off.  
____________

Rick was still holding on to Beth while she sat there motionless.

"Elizabeth, what did they do to you?"

She didn't respond.

He noticed the journal Daryl had read was in the tent so held onto Beth with one hand and flipped the book open with his other.

He couldn't believe what he was reading.

He kissed the top of her head, "I'm sorry, baby girl."

Beth started cryin', "I wish daddy was here."

"Me too," Rick sighed, "bethie, you wanna tell me why you did that to your arm?"

"They were right," she said, "that's what I am. A worthless bitch. I'm only good for one thing and I'm not good for it anymore."  
___________

Later that night, everyone watched Maggie and Daryl as they made plans to go after the people who hurt Beth and Caroline.

They knew there was no guarantee they would find them but they had to try.

When they joined the group, they told everyone their plans and that they would be leavin' the next mornin'.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17  
__________

Maggie and Daryl didn't wait until the next morning to leave.

As soon as everyone was asleep for the night, they slipped away.

As they started walkin', Maggie was goin' over everything Caroline had told her in her head. She wanted to tell Daryl, he needed to know but she didn't want him to turn around and go back to the camp. They needed to find those bastards. So she decided she'd tell him when they were further away from camp.  
______________

Caroline woke up and hurried out of the tent. 

Her daddy wasn't there.

She saw everyone gathered around talkin' about Daryl and Maggie. They were tryin' to decide who would go after them and who would stay.

Caroline didn't even think before she reacted, she took off runnin' into the woods.

"Caroline!" She heard them all callin' her but she didn't stop.

Then she felt someone pick her up from behind. She started kickin' and screamin'. 

"Caroline, calm down," Rick told her.

"I want my daddy," she cried.

"I know, sweetie. You wanna see your mommy?"

Caroline quit what she was doin' and smiled and nodded.

They walked up to Beth's tent but were stopped by Glenn and Carol.

"Daryl doesn't want her seein' Beth until she's better," Glenn said.

"Well, Daryl's not here is he?" Rick started, "Beth's had Caroline with her for six years. She needs to see her."

"You should wait until he gets back and talk to him about this," Carol said.

Rick ignored them and opened Beth's tent.

Caroline practically jumped on Beth when she saw her.

"Mommy!" She squealed happily.

Beth wrapped her arms around her and kissed her cheek, "Hey, baby girl."

Rick knew they needed time alone but he was scared to leave them so he just sat there quietly.

While Beth and Caroline were enjoying their time together, Rick's mind drifted to the conversation he had with Daryl last night.  
_______________  
"Can't y'all wait to go? We need to have a plan worked out first," Rick tried to reason with him.

"Naw, me an' Maggie are goin' 'fore anyone else. We wanna check things out."

"I'm goin' with y'all. We can get Carl to keep an eye on Caroline."

Daryl looked down and shook his head, "Naw, I want ya ta take Beth, Caroline, Judith an' Carl an' leave tha camp. Go ta that house we cleared out 'fore we set up here. I ain't asked ya fer nothin' 'fore but I'm askin' ya ta do this fer me."

Rick nodded in agreement.

They stood there in silence, neither one of them wanting to admit it but they knew there was a chance the people that had Beth and Caroline were probably lookin' for them.  
____________

"Caroline told me about some of things they did to Beth," Maggie said, abruptly breaking the silence they had settled into.

They had been walkin' for hours when she decided they were far enough from camp to discuss what was on her mind.

He didn't say anything, just looked at her waiting for her to continue.

Maggie sighed, "Obviously she doesn't know everything and some things she couldn't remember but for her age, she's been through hell. She's tough, though. Definitely a Dixon."

Daryl smirked at that. He knew his baby girl was tough and he was proud of that, he just hated how she got that way.

"Daryl, Beth has other kids." Maggie was surprised when Daryl didn't say anything.

"Daryl? Did you hear me?" 

He stopped, "I heard ya. Jus' don't wanna think 'bout it. What they did ta 'er, I don't wanna know that. Jus' glad she got out an' got ta keep Caroline."

"What would you do if we found these people and Beth's other kids?"

Daryl shrugged, "Hell if I know."

"I don't think Beth would want to see them. I mean, she was raped over and over. I can't see my sister raisin' those kids."

"They're a part of Beth we cain't jus' leave 'em. Ya really think she'd want ya treatin' 'er blood like that?"

Maggie shook her head, "How can you say that? She was raped!"

"'Cause it wasn't their choice. They're jus' kids an' they're Beth's kids."  
_____________

Rick looked around and tried to gather as much as he could so they could leave that night.

He told Carl the plan and how he was to get Judith and Caroline while he got Beth.

One thing that wasn't sittin' right with Rick was the idea of leavin' little Beth. He and Daryl didn't talk about takin' her to the safe house but he couldn't leave her.

He wrote a note to leave in the tent. He knew Glenn and Maggie would be pissed but they'd understand. 

Later that night, he and Carl gathered the girls up and set out for the safe house.  
_____________

Daryl and Maggie never stopped to rest for more than a couple minutes.

By sun down they were getting closer to the clearing where they had found Beth but somethin' wasn't right.

Neither one of them knew what it was but the few times they looked at each other said it all. They could feel it like a storm rolling in.

Tryin' to shake the bad feelings, Maggie decided to continue their conversation from earlier that day.

"Caroline told me how she got her scars," she said quietly.

Daryl grunted in acknowledgment so she continued.

"When Beth refused to do somethin' or when she wouldn't let them do......," Maggie swallowed hard knowing Daryl wouldn't like what she was gonna say, "when they tried to do things to....Caroline." 

Just as she thought, Daryl stopped and looked at her.

"What kinda things?"

"She didn't say but from the way they treated Beth, it wasn't good. Caroline said Beth wouldn't let them touch her. She took the beatings only because they'd tie Beth up and make her watch."

Maggie saw everything that flashed through Daryl's eyes by the moonlight. It was all there, the hurt, fear, anger and most importantly the need for revenge.

They stared at one another for a minute before they continued walkin'.

"What else she tell ya?" Daryl asked, not bothering to look at her.

"Well, the Bible verses were sort of like their rules. They didn't live by them but they expected the children and women to obey them. Mostly the women like Beth."

"What 'bout 'er kids?"

"She doesn't know. She said they'd bring them to Beth whenever it was time for them to eat but she never got to see them after that."

The more Maggie talked the more Daryl wanted to kill these people, if you could even call them that. To him they weren't, they were animals, monsters, scum.

Maggie felt she needed to change the subject for a little while when she noticed how tense and sullen Daryl had become.

"She said Beth always told her about you, what you were like, basically anythin' she could think to tell her."

She smiled when she saw him smile.

Beth had told there daughter about him and he loved that. He loves knowin' that Caroline knew who he was and loved him even if he didn't deserve it. She was just like her mama.

He gripped his crossbow tighter when he started thinkin' of what they had done to both of his innocent girls. No matter what hell he had gone through as a child, he knew Caroline had been through worse and that ate at him.

Maggie finally got up the courage to tell Daryl one more thing Caroline had told her. Fearing how he'd react, she fell back a few steps and prepared herself for anything and everything.

She took a deep breath, cleared her throat and began, "Beth used the calendars and X's to track how many times a month they took her and raped her and whose turn it was. She tried to keep track of her period but....but....," she stopped and took another deep breath, "Caroline said they had only been away from wherever they were for about two weeks when we found them."

"'Least they were out an' away from 'em."

"Yeah, that's one way of lookin' at it."

Maggie stopped walkin', "You know we haven't checked Beth, right?"

Daryl stopped and looked at her, "Checked 'er fer what?"

"Caroline said her mommy was gonna have another baby."

She watched Daryl's eyes grow wide in realization, "She's......she's.....," he couldn't find the words and Maggie knew it so she nodded.

"We won't know for sure until we get back. I didn't notice anythin' about her that would suggest she is pregnant but not all women experience the same things during pregnancy."

Daryl rubbed his face and screamed before punching a nearby tree. He kept punching it and screamin' until Maggie pulled him away.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18  
___________

Three days later, after making it to the safe house, Rick and Carl went in alone to make sure it was clear and still secure before goin' back out to get Beth and the girls.

"There's only one bedroom in this house," he told Beth, "you and the girls can sleep in there. Carl will be outside the bedroom door and I'll be in the livin' room keepin' watch."

Beth nodded and followed Rick.

While Caroline clung to Beth, Judith and little Beth were a little scared.

"Daddy," Judith whispered, "I don't know her."

"Yes, you do," he said, "you remember me tellin' you about your mama and how after she passed away Beth took care of you? She's not gonna hurt you."

Little Beth looked at him with tears in her eyes so he picked her and Judith up and carried them to the livin' room to talk.

"Okay, I want y'all both to listen to me. Beth won't hurt y'all," he looked to little Beth, "she's your mama's sister, you were named after her. She's your aunt, you can trust her."

He hugged her, "Now go see Carl and Beth so you can get ready for bed."

"If she's Betty's aunt, what is she to me?"

"Well," he wasn't sure what to say, "she's like a daughter to me, so you could think of her as your sister. But she always took care of you and loved you like you were her own. For now though, she's just Beth. When she gets better, you can ask her. Now get to bed."  
_____________

Maggie and Daryl didn't stop walkin' until they finally came upon a small tent that was covered with tree branches.

Just from looking inside, they saw it was Beth and Caroline's tent.

There were drawings that Caroline had made scattered inside along with a doll. 

Maggie gathered up the things and put them in a bag before taking the tent down.

While Maggie was busy with packing the stuff up, Daryl was lookin' for signs of anyone who may have come lookin' for his girls.

He heard a whistle and stopped. Maggie looked up and drew her gun.

Someone was close.  
__________

Beth laid there awake while the girls slept. She couldn't help but think about how much she missed her daddy and what he would've thought about Caroline.

She was sad but somehow thinkin' about him always brought tears to her eyes and at the same time, a smile to her face.

She knew she wasn't going to be able to sleep so she crept out of the bedroom and into the living room.

Rick was sittin' on the couch, staring out the window.

"Do you think I'm crazy?" Beth asked.

He looked at her, "No, I don't. You've been through hell."

She sat down beside him and he put his arm around her shoulders.

"Bethie, I know I'm not Hershel but you're like a daughter to me, always have been. If you need to talk, I'll listen."

She let a couple tears fall before she spoke again, "I think I'm crazy, even if you don't."

"You're not crazy, Beth, but whatever's goin' on in your head, it's there for a reason and you have to fight it. You have Caroline. She's worth fighting for, don't you think?"

Beth nodded and smiled, "She is."  
____________

Daryl found several pairs of tracks so they followed them until they heard another whistle. 

They ducked behind a tree when they heard some twigs snap.

Two big men in camouflage walked up and stopped. They whistled and few seconds later there was another whistle from close by.

Soon there was a group of eight men standing in the pathway in front of them.

Maggie and Daryl watched them and listened closely.

"Ain't no signs of 'em," one of them said.

"Someone took their tent down," said another.

Daryl tapped Maggie on the shoulder and whispered for her to stay there and cover him.

He stepped out so the men could see him with his crossbow raised and ready. They immediately pointed their guns at him.

"Can we help you?" one of the men asked.

"Naw. Jus' out huntin'," Daryl replied.

The men all looked at each other and then back at him.

One of the men stepped forward, "I'm lookin' for my wife and daughter. They're both blonde. Have you seen 'em?" 

Daryl raised his eyebrow and cocked his head. Now he knew exactly who these men were and who they wanted.

"I ain't seen nobody," he said, keepin' his crossbow aimed at the man.

"Alright then," the man said and they all started walkin' away.

Daryl wanted to kill them but decided it'd be best to follow them first. He didn't want to kill them now and have more come lookin' for them later.  
___________

The next morning, Rick and Carl were up before the girls and had their breakfast ready.

Rick was nervous about how Beth would react today. She was calm and thinkin' clearly last night but he knew that could change. She could be cryin' and violent today.

He and Carl were both surprised when she walked in with little Beth in her arms and Caroline and Judith on either side of her.

He walked over and pulled out the pills Carol and Bob had been giving her and handed her some.

She took them without protest and sat down with the girls.

Caroline and Judith talked while Rick and Carl stared at Beth.

"I'm not gonna flip out on y'all," she said without looking up at them.

"We know. You feelin' alright today?" Rick asked.

She looked at him and gave a little nod. She looked at Caroline and smiled, "I'm fine."

"You'll tell me if....."

"Mommy, me and Judith want you to sing to us," Caroline interrupted him.

Rick saw the pained look in Beth's eyes when Caroline asked her that.

"Carl, can you take the girls into the other room?" Rick asked.

Carl took the girls into the living room while Rick moved closer to Beth to talk to her.

"Hey, are you okay, Elizabeth?"

She had tears runnin' down her face now.  
"No," she whispered.

"Can you sing for them? I remember you singin' all the time at the prison."

She didn't say anything, just put her head in her hands and cried harder.

He put his arms around her and let her cry for as long as she needed to.

When she was done, she pulled away and wiped her eyes.

"I'll sing," she said.

They walked into the living room and she sat down on the couch.

Caroline crawled into her lap and Judith and little Beth curled up next to her.

"May God bless and keep you always, May your wishes all come true, May you always do for others And let others do for you. May you build a ladder to the stars And climb on every rung, May you stay forever young, Forever young, forever young, May you stay forever young.

May you grow up to be righteous, May you grow up to be true, May you always know the truth And see the lights surrounding you. May you always be courageous, Stand upright and be strong, May you stay forever young, Forever young, forever young, May you stay forever young.

May your hands always be busy, May your feet always be swift, May you have a strong foundation When the winds of changes shift. May your heart always be joyful, May your song always be sung, May you stay forever young, Forever young, forever young, May you stay forever young"

["Forever Young" by Audra Mae/Bob Dylan]


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19  
_____________

Maggie and Daryl followed the men for two days, being careful not to be seen or heard. 

By this time, Abraham, Michonne and Tyreese were on their way to meet up with them while Sasha, Carol, Bob and Glenn were at the camp.  
___________

"Mommy!" Caroline screamed.

Rick and Carl rushed into the bedroom to find Beth curled up in the corner cryin'.

"Beth?" Rick knelt down next to her, "Elizabeth, what's wrong?"

"I can't make it stop," she cried.

"You can't make what stop?"

Beth shook her head and cried harder.

Carl took the girls into the livin' room while Rick tried to calm Beth down.

He swore under his breath when he reached for Beth and she flinched away. He sat there quietly until she reached for him.  
___________

Daryl had Maggie stay back while he followed the men closer than they were before.

He watched them disappear past the tree line before he moved closer.

His eyes grew wide when he saw their camp.

They had turned an old, small town airport into a camp.

He saw maybe ten children, a lot of men and a few women who seemed to be in charge of certain things. They didn't look like they were the ones being treated like Beth so he assumed they were in on the torture.

Some of the children were working in a garden, some were cleaning guns and some were washing clothes.

His heart skipped a beat when his eyes found a little girl. She was the only child with blonde hair but he knew several of the kids were Beth's and he knew that little girl had to be hers too.

She was small, like Caroline but she couldn't have been more than three or four years old. 

One of the little boys, probably about two or three years old, kept close to her. Daryl assumed he was probably Beth's too by the way the older girl shielded him from bein' hit.

He could feel his blood boilin' and his grip tighten on his crossbow. He wanted to kill these people but he knew there were too many to do it alone.

Not that he wouldn't do it alone, but he wasn't about to go on a suicide mission because he knew his girls needed him more than anything.

He observed them for a while longer before going back to Maggie.

"We need ta get tha others," he told her.

She agreed so they started back towards their camp.  
___________

"I should've ran and never stopped," Beth whispered to Rick, she had her head on his shoulder. 

She had finally stopped cryin' but the tears still stained her face and her puffy, red eyes were staring off into space.

"What?" He asked after a moment of silence.

"When they took me from Daryl. I heard the car but I didn't run. I wanted to wait for Daryl," she wiped her cheeks, "he could've found me if I ran but I wanted to believe there were still good people. I was wrong."

Rick kissed the top of her head, "You couldn't have known what they were like, Bethie."

"I should have though. Daryl tried to tell me there wasn't any good people left."

"You can believe that, Bethie. There has to be good people left. You're one of them, those little girls in there, they don't have it in them to be mean, especially Caroline. She's been hurt, she's seen what kind of evil exists in this world but she's yours and Daryl's daughter so I know she has a good heart and she's tough."

Beth smiled up at him, "Judy's good. She's just like you. I don't see that much of Lori in her but I sure as hell don't see Shane."

Rick smiled at that, "And there's little Beth. She's more like Maggie than Glenn but she's good too. She has a good heart just like her mama and her aunt."

Beth didn't say anything else. She was slowly getting better but it didn't feel like it was enough.

She could still feel them touching her and she swore they were watching her.

Her nightmares wouldn't go away no matter how much medication she took. None of it was going away but at least she knew who was really there with her and she was as scared of them as she was before.

She was more scared she was gonna lose them again and when she did, she knew she'd never be able to get them back.  
____________

Daryl told Maggie about the camp and everything he saw. 

However, he didn't tell her about the little girl. He knew she didn't care to hear about her or any of Beth's other kids.

They walked for a long time before Maggie finally broke down and let everything out.

Daryl hit the ground next to her and didn't hold back anymore.

Between the two of them, no one would stand a chance but they still needed help.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Daryl and Maggie told the other what they were up against. 

It was decided that they would set fire to the camp and then go in with the understanding that Daryl and Maggie were on their own after that.

They all took their positions and wait for Daryl to give the signal.

He waited until everything seemed quiet and whistled.

No one at the camp heard it or saw any of them.  
_________

Before they knew it, all they could see was smoke and fire and they could hear the screams of the children.

They easily took out the guards and anyone they saw with weapons.

Maggie and Daryl pushed their way through the buildings while the others rushed the children to safety.

They could hear people screamin' for them to help them but they couldn't stop. They needed to find the ones in charge and send them to hell before they thought about helping anyone.

It may have been selfish of them but they were there for one reason only: to find and kill those who had hurt Beth and Caroline.  
________

Rick watched Beth go back and forth between who she once was and who she had become. It seemed there was no middle ground for her.

Beth was in a constant struggle with herself that left her stuck between her memories and reality.

Carl would keep the girls away from her when she would retreat into the corner and talk to herself.

Rick tried his best to get through to her and it was beginning to take it's toll on both of them.

He didn't want to admit it but he was close to giving up and close to letting her walk out.  
_________

When Daryl thought about the scars that Beth and Caroline now wore. He didn't think twice about killing anyone that got in his way.

Thinkin' they could cover more ground, he and Maggie split up.

He started to notice drawings and writing on the sides of the buildings. 

He took a closer look and found that many of them were done in blood, not paint.  
__________

Two days ago, Carl had gone to check on Beth while Rick tried to keep the girls from cryin'.

"Dad!" Carl screamed.

Rick rushed to his side to find Beth kneeling in the corner with a cut on her hand.

She had broken the mirror in the bathroom and used the shards of glass to cut herself.

It wasn't an attempt at suicide but Rick and Carl wished it had been when they saw the wall.

Beth had used her own blood as paint.  
________

Daryl peered through a window to find that the airplane hanger had been converted into some kind of torture chamber.

There were candles scattered around the room and on the floor and chains hanging from the walls.

He saw several men, those he had met in the woods, dressed in black robes. He could hear them speaking but couldn't make out what they were sayin'.  
________

"Elizabeth, why did you do this?" Rick asked.

His attention was focused more on the drawing but he glanced at her.

"Rick, they hurt me," she cried.

"Who hurt you? Do you know who they were?"

She nodded and pointed to her drawing, "Please don't let them hurt me again."

"I won't, Bethie. No one is gonna hurt you ever again."

He only hoped he was right. For the first time in a very long time, Rick prayed that everyone they loved would be safe.  
_________

Knowing they were up against something truly evil made things harder for them.

Daryl heard Maggie's whistle and answered with his own before he counted to three.

At the same time, Maggie and Daryl busted into the hanger.

The men immediately recognized Daryl and surrounded him.

He had his mind set on killing all of them except one. He had already decided that the man that called Beth and Caroline his would die slowly. 

Before anyone knew what was happening, shots rang out and smoke filled the hanger.

Tyreese, Abraham and Michonne had come to help them.

When the smoke cleared, no one was left standing.

Thankfully, the only ones dead were the evil bastards who ran the camp.

Maggie, Michonne, Abraham and Tyreese were all injured but whatever pain they were feeling didn't stop them from panicking and running outside when they noticed Daryl was no longer there.

Abraham was the one who spotted Daryl dragging a man across the runway. He was kickin' and screamin' but Daryl didn't acknowledge him until he was strung up by his wrists.

They all watched for a few moments as Daryl began to beat the man.

They turned away from it and started towards the buildings they heard the cries for help coming from.

Daryl wasn't aware of anything that was goin' on around him and as much as he hated knowing he had so much anger built up inside, he hated this man more.

By the time Daryl started to feel the pain from his busted knuckles, he noticed the man wasn't breathing.

He checked his pulse and upon finding one, he shoved his knife into the mans jugular. 

He waited there for what seemed like forever before the man finally turned.

Daryl looked at the man and before putting the final nail in his coffin, he spoke.

"Ya do what ya gotta do to defend yer own and they're mine, not yours."


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21  
__________

They finally made it to their safe house a week after attacking those who had held Beth and Caroline for so many years. 

Some of the women who were held there were too badly injured to save but wanted their children to be taken as far away from there as possible.

They all knew there was no way they could help these people survive when they were barely surviving themselves.

Much to Maggie's dismay, Daryl insisted on finding out which of the children belonged to Beth before they sent them on their way.

As they were approaching the house, Rick and Carl rushed out with their guns raised before they realized who it was.

Beth stayed inside with the girls like she was told to do. 

It unnerved Rick to see how well she followed orders and how she would flinch away or hide if she thought she had done something wrong.

"Where's Beth and Caroline?" Maggie asked.

"Inside," Carl answered.

Before Maggie could even move her feet, Daryl disappeared into the house.

"Daddy!" Caroline screamed and rushed into his arms.

"Hey, baby girl," he whispered in her ear.

Caroline pulled away from him and smiled, "I love you, daddy."

He smiled and kissed both of her cheeks, "I love you, too. Where's your mama?"

Caroline lowered her eyes and pointed to the room, "Mommy's in there."

Daryl's hand was on the doorknob when Rick stopped him.

"She's gotten worse in the last couple of days," Rick told him.

"What'd ya mean?"

"Let me get the girls out of there and I'll show you."

Rick had the three girls go outside with Maggie and the others while he tried to prepare Daryl for what he was about to see.

When he opened the door, Daryl's eyes searched the room for Beth but he didn't see her.

Rick didn't say a word, he simply pointed to the small closet.

"Does she know who you are?" Daryl asked him.

Rick swallowed past the lump in his throat but his voice still cracked, "Sometimes."

Daryl looked down and wiped his eyes before lookin' around the room.

He didn't say anything as Rick went around the room and removed the sheets and blankets he had hung on the walls.

Each time he removed them, Daryl tried his best to hold back his tears.

"She cut herself," Rick told him, "used her blood to paint these."

She wasn't very good at her drawings but Daryl recognized the scenes she had painted.

There was one of her mama in front of a barn, one of a house that appeared to be engulfed in flames, one of a headless man with the words 'Beloved Father's written beside him and Daryl knew the last one was the mortuary they had stayed in with what he thought was a figure of himself as a walker.

Daryl and Rick both let their tears fall silently as Rick uncovered the last drawing.

"Fuck!" Daryl said as Maggie gasped behind him.

On the wall was a huge Pentagram.

Daryl closed his eyes and tried to shake away all the images that flashed through his mind.

He had seen a Pentagram tattooed on the chest of the man that called Beth and Caroline his.

"All the men had that as a tattoo," Maggie cried.

They knew those fuckers were sick but they didn't want to know this.

They did want to know they had taken a girl, their Beth, who had been so full of hope, faith, love and who had brought happiness to them all and turned her into a scared, unstable slave. Yes slave. There was no other way to describe what she was to them.

She was forced to carry their children, forced to obey them and she was tortured.

Daryl wiped his eyes and rushed to the closet.

He pulled Beth out without much resistance on her part.

She stood there with cuts all over her arms and a few lines of blood running down them.

Maggie started cryin' harder and tried to get to her but Rick grabbed her and pulled her out of the room.

Daryl went over and locked the door. He didn't want her to feel trapped but he didn't want her running out.

When he turned back around, Beth smiled at him.

"Are you here to take me with you?" she asked.

"Yeah," Daryl said, though he was confused by her smile, "We're all gonna go someplace safe. Me, you and Caroline, we're gonna be together."

Her smiled faded and she cried out, "No! No please don't take Caroline! She's just a baby! It's not her time!"

Daryl took a step towards her, "Beth, do you know who I am?"

"Yes, or course I do. You're Daryl," she said with a slight smile.

"Do you know why I'm here?"

She nodded.

"Why?" he asked.

"You're gonna take me back to the cemetery. You're gonna make me like you."

Daryl looked down and fought back tears as he realized what she meant.

She thought he had died in the mortuary, she thought he had turned into a walker and was now here to make her one.

When he looked up, Beth was studying his face intently and her smile was gone again.

"You're not gonna take me with you, are you? You're gonna take me back to them! I'll be good for you but please don't take me back. I'll do anythin' you want me to do," she cried and pleaded.

Daryl stepped even closer and pulled her into his arms.

"The only thing I want you to do is get better. An' those fuckers that hurt you an' Caroline, they're all gone, Bethie," he tried to sound calm, "I ain't takin' ya back ta them an' I ain't gon' let ya turn into a walker. We're gon' stay with our family. Do you understand?"

She nodded and whispered, "Are you really Daryl?"

"Yeah, baby," he whispered back.

Neither of them left the room the rest of the day and they stayed awake most of the night.

Daryl kept his arms around Beth and she kept askin' if he was real.

He assured her he was and would talk about the way things were between them before.

He wanted desperately for her to get better so they could raise Caroline and her other kids together.

Daryl let that last thought roll around in his mind and then quickly decided they were their children. Not hers but theirs. 

The few times Beth fell asleep, she woke up screamin' for him to let her go and he wouldn't. He continued to hold her close and try to make her feel safe.  
____________

Daryl didn't sleep at all, so he was awake when the sun came up.

He went into the living room where the others where and held Caroline.

He noticed that several children, four to be exact, were curled up in the corner of the living room watching everyone, especially Caroline.

He knew there were more children who's mother's were unknown but he had a feeling these four were Beth's.  
___________

Beth woke up alone and started to panic. 

She saw the drawings she had made and started screaming.

Thinking they had found her, she quickly ran out of the room and right into Daryl.

She tried to push him away but he wouldn't budge.

The four small children in the corner started whimpering when they saw Beth.  
____________

A few hours later, when she had finally calmed down and was sittin' between Daryl and Rick, they started asking her questions.

Daryl held her hand as Rick spoke to her softly and she tried to make herself answer the questions without getting scared. 

She looked up when Caroline came to her and put her hands on Beth's cheeks.

"Mommy, are you still sick?" she asked.

Beth's eyes filled with tears and she pulled Caroline onto her lap but she didn't answer her question.

Beth was afraid to answer it. She knew she wasn't right but she didn't fully understand what was wrong with her.

Daryl stood up and walked over to the kids and asked them to come with him.

They stood in front of Beth shaking with tears in their eyes.

"Do you know who's kids these are?" Daryl asked her.

She nodded but didn't say anything.

How could she? She couldn't tell Daryl they were hers, he wouldn't want her if he knew. How could she say these kids were hers after what had happened to her? She may not have wanted them but she loved them because they were hers.

"Elizabeth, who's kids are these?" Rick asked.

She lowered her head and leaned closer to Rick and whispered, "They're mine."

She meant it to only be heard by Rick but Daryl, Caroline and the other children heard her.

"Do you know their names?" Rick whispered to her.

She nodded again.

"Can you tell me their names?" he whispered again.

She pointed to a little girl with brown hair and blue eyes and a boy who looked like her but a little smaller and younger, "That's Mary-Anne and Gabriel." Then she pointed to the blonde haired blue eyed boy and girl, "That's Caitlin and James. I didn't get to name them like I did Caroline."

She started cryin'.

"What's wrong, Bethie?" Rick asked.

"I....I had more but....but they're not here."

Rick carried the kids out to the back porch where everyone else was while Daryl stayed with Beth.

"Beth, baby, look at me," Daryl told her but she kept her eyes on the floor, "Beth, do you want your kids to stay with us?"

She looked at him and squeezed her eyes shut, "If you don't want them to stay, they don't have to."

"No, Bethie, what do you want to do?"

She opened her eyes and stared into his, "Can they stay, please?"

Daryl smiled, "Yeah, they can stay."

She gave him a weak smile, "Daryl, do you think I'm crazy?"

"No, baby, I don't. I think ya been through hell an' it's got ya fucked up a lil' but you're gon' get better."

All if Beth's worries and fears seemed to disappear for the moment.


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22  
______________

A month later......

Beth stood outside the fence that surrounded the camp that once was the cause of so much pain and watched as her family descended upon it in search for more answers.

After her last 'outburst' as they called it, she asked them to bring her here. She needed to see for herself that the monsters that had hurt her were no longer there. 

She remembered waking up screaming, thinkin' they had come back for her. Everyone assured her it was nothing more than a bad dream and that they could no longer hurt her. 

In the back of her mind, she knew it sounded bad and probably selfish but she needed Daryl more than anyone else. He was the one she called out for when things started closing in on her. 

She didn't call out for Maggie or Rick or Caroline, she called out for Daryl.

She needed to know that he was real and not a figment of her imagination like he was so many times before. She needed that constant assurance. 

She shook the thoughts from her head and slipped through the fence and stumbled towards the buildings.

She needed this. She needed to find closure.   
_________

Daryl and Rick searched through one of the buildings but didn't find anything to shed light on what had happened here or what their plans were.

They came to a room that was filled with file cabinets and desks. They looked around and thinkin' there was nothing of importance in there, they turned to leave but something stopped Daryl. There was something about that room that told him he needed to look through things.

They searched through most of the file cabinets but didn't find anything.

With the sunlight fading, they decided to look through a few more before they left.

Rick opened one of the drawers and looked through the handwritten files.

He pulled four out and placed them on a desk.

"None of the kids have the same name," he told Daryl as he opened the files and scanned over the information that was listed.

The files contained the children's names and ages, mother's name and a number at the top of the pages.

Below those were the child's weight and height from their time of birth 'til their camp was destroyed.  
____________

Beth was looking through the rooms of a familiar building to make sure they were all gone while fighting back tears and the horrible memories that flashed through her mind.

She searched every room before stopping in front of a door.

It was the room she and Caroline had called theirs. She saved it for last.

Wiping at her eyes, she put her hand on the doorknob. She took a deep breath and turned it and eased the door open.

She screamed as she was suddenly and forcefully knocked to the ground.

She couldn't move, she couldn't run, she couldn't fight back but she could scream and she did.  
_________

Michonne and Tyreese, who were searching the building next door, ran in followed closely by Rick and Daryl.

"Beth!" Daryl yelled out when he saw her on the ground.

He rushed to her side and lifted her up to find her head was bleeding a little.

She kicked and screamed for him to let her go and to not hurt her.

Michonne took his place at her side and pulled her into a hug while he, Rick and Tyreese searched the building for who or what ever scared her and knocked her down.

They didn't find anyone or anything in the building so they went back to Beth and Michonne.

"Beth, did you see who was in there?" Tyreese asked her.

Beth cried and shook her head. She now knew for sure that she was indeed crazy and she didn't want to admit that to them.

Nothing had been in the room, living or dead. Not a man, not a walker but instead a ghost.

The ghost of all the things that had happened in that room, of everything that happened to her and Caroline. A ghost that was there to remind her she had been in a dark place for so long and there was no way out.

Until she felt his hands on her arms and his lips on her cheek.

"Ever'thin's gon' be alright, Bethie," he whispered in her ear.

She wrapped her arms around him and cried. She was safe in his arms.

"No one was in there," she breathed out.

He pulled away from her, "What?"

"There was no one in there," she whispered, "that was our room."

"If no one was in there, how'd you end up on the floor?" Michonne asked.

"I fell. When I opened the door, I fell backwards," she told them.  
__________

They went back to the building Daryl and Rick had been searching to look through more of the files.

They helped Beth sit down and gave her some water while Tyreese looked over the wound on her head.

Rick picked up the files he had been looking at before and studied them.

Beth was listed as the mother on three of the four files.

Caitlin, Mary-Anne and James.

He showed them to the others.

"Let me see it," Michonne reached out for them and walked over to Beth.

"Bethie, Gabriel isn't yours. Why did you tell us he was?"

"Because he is," she whispered.

"No, he's not, Bethie."

"Yes, he is," she looked up and saw the terrified and confused looks on their faces, "I know I didn't give birth to him. He's not my blood but he's mine. My babies always looked out for him."

Everyone let out a sigh of relief when she spoke.

Michonne walked back over to the file cabinets and they all resumed looking through them.

She pulled out a file marked with the name 'Beth Dixon'.

She opened it and read it to herself.

Beth only had four viable pregnancies in her time with these monsters but she suffered several miscarriages, likely due to the beatings.

She felt like they were reading something they weren't supposed to but she had to show the others, especially Daryl. 

With only an hour or less of sunlight left, Michonne put the files into her bag and they all walked out of the room.  
__________

Beth held Daryl and Rick's hands as they walked through the buildings and asked her questions.

She told them about some of the things that had happened and what some of the buildings and rooms were used for but some things she kept to herself and others she couldn't remember.

She was surprising everyone, including herself, with her willingness to talk but she had come to the conclusion that she needed to do that to be able to move on.

Though things she was sayin' were horrible, they all smiled to themselves. She was slowly becoming the Beth they had once known, only stronger and they loved that.  
__________

When the sun had finally set, they started making their way out of the camp.

Before they reached the fence, Beth turned around and stared at the buildings and started cryin'.

Daryl stood beside her and waved his finger towards the buildings, "Places like this....ya have ta put it away."

"What if you can't?" Beth asked.

He shrugged, "Ya have to....or it kills ya."  
___________

Daryl looked at Beth and wiped the tears from her face, "We should burn it down."

She smiled, "Hell yeah!"

The others looked on in confusion as Daryl and Beth moved closer to the camp and set fire to it.

When they got back to the others, they turned to face the burning ruins of a horrible past.

Daryl smiled and flipped off the burning buildings. He nudged Beth and she smiled again before doin' the same and intertwining their fingers on their free hands.

Michonne, Tyreese and Rick joined them in flipping off the fire with smiles.  
___________

"Never been the kind to turn around

Shots fired I won't hit the ground

When your back's against the wall you know exactly where I'll be

I'll be standing tall against the waves

Just like a lighthouse in a hurricane

I'd have everything to lose and nothing left to gain

If I had you"

["Lighthouse" by Sam Riggs and the Night People]

A/N: Yes, I used dialogue from the show. I thought it fit in with this chapter. Also, the song lyrics felt like the fit as well. :)

Let me know what y'all think.

Also, I'm sorry for ay mistakes. I'll correct them asap.


	23. Chapter 23

A/N: This is THE LAST CHAPTER! 

Warning: This chapter should probably be rated "M".  
____________

Chapter 23  
_____________

Beth sat in the corner of the living room watching everyone.

Daryl had all of kids gathered around him and was telling them a story.

Nobody said anything to her or looked at her. They just went about their business and acted as if she wasn't there.

"What'd you expect, Elizabeth?" A voice in her head asked, "look at them, they don't need you here, they don't want you here."

In the last two weeks, after burning down that camp, the voice in her head have gotten louder. Pushing her further to the edge.

She tried to ignore them and live her life as much as she could but they wouldn't go away.

Her dreams were filled with the most painful memories she had.

Not those of what had happened to her when she was 'gone' but the memories of those around her.

She saw Maggie's angry and disappointed face when she tried to take the easy way out, she saw the disappointed look on Rick's face when she told him she was pregnant, she saw Daryl's face back in the moonshine still and heard his angry voice, and she saw the way Caroline looked at her as if she was broken.

What hurt the most was Caroline. She never left Daryl's side and when she did, she didn't come to Beth, her mother, she went to someone else in the group, usually Maggie or Rick.

Beth wasn't jealous of them, she was hurt. Caroline, her baby girl, was scared of her.

She'd hoped that the medicine they were giving her and her willingness to talk about the things that happened would bring her back but it hasn't.

That night, Beth watched as Daryl packed his shit and some supplies before waking up Caroline.

Feeling he had no other choice, the two set out on their own, leaving their family and Beth behind.

Daryl told her he couldn't stand the thought of her raising his daughter, not with how fucked up she was and that this was the only way to keep Caroline safe and everyone knew it and agreed with him.

Beth thought about begging them to stay but she stopped herself.

She couldn't ask that of Daryl and Caroline. She wanted them to be happy and not live in fear of her hurting them so she watched them leave.

When they were swallowed by the darkness of the night, Beth broke down.

She kicked and punched at the walls and whatever else she could. She screamed and cried.

It was her fault, she had hit Caroline and now they were gone.  
__________

"Bethie?" She heard someone say.

"Elizabeth," she saw Rick kneeling beside her, "Bethie, are you okay?"

She stared at him for a second and then jumped out of the bed. She ran into the living room but didn't see Daryl or Caroline.

"Where....where's Daryl? Where's Caroline?" She screamed.

"Elizabeth," Rick had followed her, "They're outside. You need to go back to bed."

"No," she screamed, "they can't leave me!"

He put his hands on her shoulders and studied her face, "They're not leavin' you. They're cleanin' a deer. They'll come back in when they're finished."

The voice in her had started laughing , "He's lyin', Beth! They're gone and they're never coming back to a worthless bitch like you. Why don't you drop to your knees and show everyone you're a good girl?" The voice laughed again, "Come on, Beth. You saw the look on Daryl's face. He hates you! Caroline hates you!"

Beth fell to the floor and put her forearms over her ears.

"No, no, no," she cried, "Shut up! Stop it!"  
__________

The voice was pushing her. Just like it had three days ago when she snapped and hit Caroline. 

She didn't mean to hit her, she just wanted the voices to stop.

But if Daryl hadn't of pulled her away, she probably would've hit her again.

The day after it happened, she saw the bruise on Caroline's face and tries to apologize to her but Caroline flinched away and ran to Daryl.

The look in her eyes hurt Beth.

Her baby girl was scared of her.  
___________

Moments later, Rick carried Beth back to bed after Bob had given her a tranquilizer.

Maggie shook her head, "I don't know what to do anymore. She was doin' so good and now....now she's.....she's not there."

"She was with those fuckers for six years," Abraham jumped in, "She ain't gonna get better overnight. Hell, it may take her six years to get over it or it may take her six months."

"He's right," Carol said, "All we can do is what we've been doin'."

"There's a few things we can try," Bob said, earning everyone's attention, "but there's no guarantee any of it will work."

"What can we do?" Maggie asked.

"Just a few things they did before for people in the military who had PTSD. I think that's what's happening to Beth."

"She's been talkin' and writing down everything......," Maggie started.

"And that might not be a good thing," Bob pointed out, "Everyone has their own ways of dealing with trauma. What if that is making it worse for her? Maybe talking about it or writing it down is forcing her to relive everything and it's making her relapse."

"What'd we do," Daryl spoke up.

"Well, the first idea I have is getting her to be more productive and active. Maybe get her some sneakers and get her to jog, run or even just walk up and down the road or in a path in the woods. Or we could carry her in to town. There's an old gym there, we could get her into boxing. It's a good way to burn her energy and she could learn to fight."

Everyone was silent as Daryl, Rick and Maggie looked at each other.

"I don't want 'er goin' to far from 'ere," Daryl said and Maggie and Rick nodded in agreement.

"I'll go on the next run and see if I can find some sneakers in her size," Maggie said.

"I'll go with ya," Daryl volunteered.

"No you won't," Rick shook his head, "I'm goin with her. That girl in there, she's scared you're gonna leave her. You're gonna go in there and stay with her. You're not gonna leave her side for anythin' 'til we get back. You understand?"

Daryl nodded and went straight to Beth.  
_________

Rick and Maggie left shortly after they discussion.

Daryl laid on the bed next to Beth, watching her sleep.

He was pissed that she hit Caroline. He didn't want his kids to grow up scared of their parents like he did.

His anger wasn't towards Beth though. It was towards himself and those who had hurt her.

He wrapped his arm around her and put his head as close to hers as he could. 

It didn't take him long to fall asleep. He must have needed it because when he woke up the next evening, Rick and Maggie were back and Beth was still out.

He tried to ease out of bed without waking her up but before his feet touched the floor, her eyes opened.

"Daryl?" she asked sleepily.

"Yeah, baby?" He laid back down and put his arm around her again.

"I'm sorry I hit Caroline. I didn't mean to. I don't wanna be like that," she fought back her tears but her voice was shaky.

"I know ya didn't mean ta do it an' I don't think yer gon' do it again. Yer gon' get better."

She faced him as a few tears escaped her eyes, "What if I'm like that now? What if I hurt her again or one of the other kids?"

"Ya ain't gon' be like that, Beth. Ya ain't gon' hit 'er or anyone else. Yer a good mama. Yer jus' a lil' fucked up right now but we're workin' on somethin' to help ya get better."  
____________

Six weeks later......

They had been working Beth like crazy since they decided on what they'd try.

Three or four times a day, Michonne would jog with her down to a nearby creek and they'd work on a few self-defense moves each time.

By the time she was ready for bed each night, she was so tired as soon as her head hit the pillow she would fall into a dreamless sleep, which was perfectly fine with her.

She was thankful she had something to occupy her mind and she wasn't having horrible dreams. The voices in her head had stopped and she wasn't as afraid of anything as she was before.

Everyone else was thankful for this too. They were glad she wasn't having any nightmares or outbursts and even Caroline was happy to be around her again.

Daryl and Maggie were happy for other reasons as well. Since they had returned after their attack on the camp two months ago, Beth showed no signs of being pregnant.

Not that it would've mattered if she was. Daryl would have still loved the child and so would Maggie. 

At first, she didn't like the idea of having Beth's other kids around and she blamed them for Beth's breakdowns but as she got to know them, she saw more and more Beth in them, even Gabriel.  
___________

Tonight though, when Beth and Michonne had finished her 'therapy', she didn't feel as tired as she had been and that worried her.

She didn't know if the dreams were gonna come back or if she was gonna go crazy again. She didn't know if what she had been experiencing was nothing more than her mind playing her and giving her a false sense of security or if she really was getting better.

She had so many questions running around in her head and she didn't feel tired but she must have been.  
____________

The next morning, Michonne was on a run with Tyreese, Abraham and Sasha so Daryl took over her therapy.

Just as the days before, they jogged down a path to the creek.

Instead of giving her self-defense lessons as Michonne had been doin', Daryl decided to pick up where they had left off years ago.

Without sayin' a word, he placed his crossbow in Beth's hands and led her through the woods.  
____________

By their third jog to the creek, she could feel the burning in her arms and legs.

Daryl had insisted she learn how to load the crossbow and how to run with it her hands.

She didn't hate him for it but she did want to hit him.

He would just smirk at her whenever she would get mad though.

She was showing signs of her old self.

Seeing she was tired, he didn't bother making her go a fourth round.

He let her rest and went to hunt.  
_________

When he returned later that night, he cleaned the few rabbits he had and passed them along to Carol and Sasha.

Beth overheard him telling them and whoever was on watch that he was goin' to the creek to wash off.

She gave him enough time to get there before she slipped out of the house. She didn't tell anyone where she was goin' since she figured they'd try to get her to stay with them.  
____________

The moonlight shown brightly through the trees as she made her way to the creek.

"Daryl?" she called out, wanting to make sure it was him.

He turned around to face her as she moved closer.

"I love you," she smiled at him and took his hand.

Before he could respond she was pulling him into a passionate kiss.

He made himself pull away from her and she took the opportunity to tug on his boxers.

"Beth, we can't," he told her.

"Why not?"

"'Cause I want ya ta get better. You're not ready for this."

She smiled, "Yes, I am."

She backed away just a little and took her shirt in her hands, pulling it over her head and letting it fall to the ground beside them. Daryl stood there, watching her. 

"Are ya sure?" he asked.

She nodded and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him close and into another kiss. 

She let go of him and reached around to unhook her bra, pulling it from herself, she tossed it as he kissed down her neck.

He reached down and lifted her up, she hooked her legs around his waist as he moved their bodies to the ground. 

Beth lifted her hips as he removed the rest of her clothes.

He kissed her again and gently eased into her, both of them moaning. Beth clung to him as he moved inside her. 

He kept it slow until she was crying out his name. 

For the first time in years, they were both completely happy.  
___________

They both smiled the whole way back to the safe house.

As they approached it, they could see several people were still awake and the worried looks on their faces.

Maggie smiled when she saw their smiles and Rick shook his head and laughed.

Inside, they found all of the kids asleep in the bedroom so the decided to sleep on the back porch.

Daryl pulled Beth into his arms and kissed her.

"I love ya, Beth," he whispered to her.  
__________

A/N: So, what did y'all think? Did I fuck up the 'smut'? 

I've already started the sequel to this. If you don't want to wait for me to start posting it on here, the first few chapters are posted on fanfiction.net

The sequel is titled "Like A Rose" .

 

Thank y'all so much! :D  
-Angie

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: So, I know I said this is a one-shot but if y'all would like me to continue it, please let me know. If I do continue it, it'll probably be in the characters POV.
> 
> Anyway, let me know what y'all think!


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